


A Second Bite

by grlnxtdr29



Series: Bite Trilogy [2]
Category: Glee
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-26
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-10-16 08:29:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 44,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17546171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grlnxtdr29/pseuds/grlnxtdr29
Summary: The sequel to A Bite of Klaine. What happens when The New Directions and The Warblers find out about Kurt and Blaine? Will Lucian allow them to remember? Glee/Argeneau Crossover, part two!





	1. Life Continues

Regionals were tomorrow, and the Warblers were rehearsing harder than ever, trying to make up for the few days Blaine had been missing. Of course no one remembered that he had been kidnapped by an evil rogue vampire named Jeremiah. No, Kurt, Burt, Lucian and Tricia had carefully altered the memories of every student, teacher, and faculty member of Dalton Academy so that everyone just thought that Blaine had been out sick with strep throat, while George and Kris, the other two boys who had disappeared during the last several months, had been on an extended scholastic tour of the US.

It had been an exhausting couple of weeks for Kurt. On top of everything else, he had also had the responsibility of training Blaine in the ways of immortals. Blaine had an advantage over most new turns, having read all of Lucern Argeneau's books about their kind, but he still had to learn how to shield his mind from unwanted thoughts, as well as how to read and control mortals.

Blaine had been a little reluctant with that last part, not really wanting to know what his friends were thinking, nor did he want to make them do things against their will. Kurt had explained to him that it could become necessary to control someone if they found out about their kind, if only to make them forget. Blaine understood it was important to keep their kind secret from the world, but it still didn't make him feel better about making Jeff hop on one foot for ten minutes one afternoon.

Rehearsals were just finishing up when Kurt nudged Blaine, giving his head a little nod towards Wes, smiling. Blaine rolled his eyes, but concentrated on the council leader. The handsome Asian cradled his gavel to his chest, crooning a soft lullaby to it as the other boys filed out of the room, snickering. Even Blaine had to grin. Wes stopped after a moment and glared at everyone.

Kurt smiled at his lifemate, taking his hand as they headed to the dining hall. "You're getting much better. Practice makes perfect."

Blaine smiled sheepishly. "Thanks, but I still don't like practicing here. It was better when we went to the mall and I didn't know anyone we practiced on."

Kurt hugged him as they got in line for their food. He noticed the smaller boy was a little pale. "Did you feed before Warbler practice?"

Blaine looked embarrassed. "I didn't get the chance. Nick was with me. He wanted advice on what to get Jeff for their anniversary next week. They've been dating for three years now."

Kurt frowned slightly. New turns needed to feed more often, especially ones as young as Blaine. "Fine, after we eat, you're coming to my dorm, and you'll have four bags, at least."

The shorter boy grinned. "Yes, Dad!"

Kurt snorted. "I didn't know you were into that kind of kink."

Blaine looked shocked, and Kurt laughed as they paid for their food and went to sit with the other Warblers. As he set his tray down, Kurt's phone chimed, signaling a text message. He smiled when he saw who it was from.

Can't wait to see you tomorrow, White Boy. Good luck! - Cedes

He sent back a quick reply, the smile on his face almost wistful. He really missed his friends in New Directions.

Blaine noticed that his boyfriend was quieter than usual at dinner, but didn't say anything until they were in the taller boy's dorm and had finished their bags of blood. "So, are you going to tell me what has been bothering you for the past week?"

Kurt looked up at him, looking confused. "I don't know what you are talking about."

Blaine sighed softly. "Come on, Kurt. You've been quiet and moody since you turned me. You aren't regretting it, are you?"

"No! Of course not! Why would you even think that? We're lifemates! I love you!"

Blaine hugged him. "Then what is it?"

Kurt snuggled closer to Blaine. "I'm sorry. I just miss my friends at McKinley. Even Rachel, believe it or not. I'm really looking forward to seeing them tomorrow."

"Are you sure that's all that's bothering you?"

"Yes, I'm sure." Kurt nodded. Blaine smiled and kissed his forehead.

"Good. I'm glad. Why don't you invite all of them over here after the competition. Win lose or draw, we'll all celebrate together."

"Are you sure? What will Wes say?"

Blaine grinned. "Well, I figure after you do your little mind trick on him and anyone else who might object, everyone will love the idea."

Kurt frowned. "Oh, so you're okay with me using mind control on them, but you won't?"

The other boy had the grace to look sheepish. They both laughed.

"Fine," Kurt said. "You should get to your own dorm soon, though. We both need a good night's sleep for tomorrow."

Blaine smiled, knowing Kurt just wanted them both to go to sleep so they could have a shared dream. Their dreams had certainly been more interesting since Blaine's rescue from the rogue. When they were awake, they were very careful not to let their lifemate chemistry rule them, which meant only chaste kisses on the cheek or forehead. The few times they had shared a real kiss, things had quickly spiraled out of control, and they had barely managed to pull themselves back from going farther than either of them were ready to go.

But in their shared dreams...

Yeah, they didn't hold back.

…

"Yo! Kurt! What up bro?" Artie called out. Kurt smiled at the younger boy when he saw him in the lobby as they arrived for the competition, and at the girl pushing the baritone's chair.

"Artie! Stephanie! How have you guys been?" He fist bumped the other boy, and then hugged the girl with the dyed black hair.

Stephanie smiled and hugged him back, and then hugged Blaine as she replied. "I'm fine. It's good to see you guys! See, Kurt, I told you everything would work out."

The four of them laughed before the rest of the New Directions and Warblers caught up with them. Stephanie hugged Jeff, her cousin. He ruffled her black hair.

"When are you going to let this grow out and go back to being blonde?" He teased. All the new directions but Artie seemed confused.

"You're a natural blonde?" Finn asked.

Stephanie sighed and glared at her cousin. "Yes, I'm a natural blonde. I had to dye my hair when I went into protective custody, which the girls and Artie already know about."

Puck looked confused. "Protective custody?"

Artie cleared his throat. "This isn't the best place to go into details, but the short version is that Stephanie witnessed a violent crime and has been in protective custody for almost two years since the criminals still haven't been caught."

"Dude, I thought she was your cousin, Kurt?" Finn said.

The pale boy rolled his eyes. "Don't call me dude. And she is my cousin by marriage, and Jeff's cousin by birth. Her sister married my cousin Decker, who is the...officer in charge of the case. Stephanie is staying with us, or rather with my Dad now that I am at Dalton, so that she can go to school."

Most of the New Directions still looked confused, but at that moment Mr. Schuester came over. "Okay, I've gotten us checked in, we should head back stage and get ready. Kurt, it's good to see you again!"

Both teams wished the other team luck and they made their ways to the dressing rooms assigned to each group. The Warblers were already wearing their uniforms, so they really didn't need much time to get ready, and after only a few warm ups, headed back out to watch the first group perform. The New Directions took a little longer, but made it out in to the auditorium as Aural Intensity began their final song. Kurt caught Mercedes' eye, and they both rolled their eyes at the obvious ploy to suck up to the conservative Christian judges.

The Warblers were up second. Kurt was very nervous. He had a solo and a duet this time. Blaine massaged his shoulders as they waited to be announced. "Relax, Kurt, they are going to love you! I know I do."

Kurt smiled and kissed him. "I love you too."

Finally, they were announced, and Kurt took a deep breath, and moved into position. He could hear the other Warblers begin to harmonize behind him, and then he stepped forward, into the spot light.

Here comes the sun (doo doo doo doo)  
Here comes the sun, and I say  
It's all right

Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter  
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here  
Here comes the sun  
Here comes the sun, and I say  
It's all right

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces  
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here  
Here comes the sun  
Here comes the sun, and I say  
It's all right

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes  
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes  
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes  
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes  
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes

Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting  
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear  
Here comes the sun  
Here comes the sun, and I say  
It's all right

Here comes the sun  
Here comes the sun, and I say  
It's all right  
It's all right

The Audience cheered, and Kurt could see New Directions on their feet, clapping and bouncing in enthusiasm. Kurt blushed, and took his bow, before moving back into position with the other Warblers as they began Raise Your Glass. Again, the number was well received by the audience. They finished with Kurt and Blaine's duet of Candles. Kurt knew it had been a risky song selection, but they killed it, and the audience really seemed to love it.

In the end, New Directions' original songs beat them out. Kurt was glad his friends had won, but it still stung a little that the Warblers wouldn't be moving on. Still, second place was respectable.

…

Despite the second place finish, the Warblers were gracious hosts, inviting the other team back to Dalton for a party. Stephanie was happy to spend some time with her cousin, but her stomach had begun to cramp a little. She hadn't had a chance to feed since that morning before leaving for the competition. She usually fed three times a day, taking two bags of blood each time.

Kurt noticed her rubbing her stomach absently as she talked with the blonde Warbler. He knew Blaine also needed to feed soon, too. The three of them could sneak off to his room and finish off a couple bags each before returning to the party. He didn't want to draw attention to what they were doing, so he whispered to Artie to send Stephanie out of the room to meet him, and to distract anyone who might follow them. The wheelchair bound boy nodded, knowing that they needed to feed discreetly, and went to distract his lifemate's cousin while she slipped away.

Kurt followed a few minutes later with Blaine. The trio slipped upstairs to the dorms silently.

…

"Have you seen Kurt?" Mercedes asked Tina.

"I think I saw him and that Blaine guy slipping out a few minutes ago. Do you think they are actually dating now?"

Mercedes shrugged. She knew Kurt had a crush on the dark haired Warbler, and they were really good friends, but after seeing their duet that afternoon, she couldn't help but wonder if they had crossed over the friends' line and into boyfriends. She was going to kill Kurt if he had a boyfriend and didn't tell her.

She excused herself to Tina, and quietly slipped out of the common room, and made her way up to the dorms. She knew which dorm was Kurt's because he had mailed her a Birthday card a couple of months ago, and he'd put the dorm room number in the return address.

She moved stealthily down the hall, and listened at the door for a moment. She couldn't hear anything coming from inside the room. She hesitated before reaching for the doorknob. She wasn't sure she wanted to walk in if the boys were making out, but curiosity got the better of her. She pushed the door open, expecting to see two boys kissing. What she actually saw made her jaw hit the floor.

…

As soon as the three of them reached Kurt's dorm, Kurt went to the closet and slid back the false panel, revealing the mini fridge. He pulled out half a dozen bags of blood and returned to the main room, passing them out to the other two, while keeping a couple for himself.

"Thanks, Kurt," Stephanie said, taking the two bags, and pulling a straw from her back pocket, stabbing it into the first bag. The two boys slapped their bags to their fangs. Kurt heard Blaine sighing in relief as his fangs began to draw the blood up into his gums. They finished their first bags about the same time, and Kurt collected the empties to place back in the mini fridge to dispose of later as Stephanie stabbed her straw into the second bag, and Blaine began to drain his second.

Kurt didn't start on his second bag right away, deciding the others probably would need a couple more bags each. He grabbed four more bags and stepped back out into the main room, slapping his second bag to his teeth as he handed the rest out to the other two. His bag was almost half empty when the door suddenly swung open. His eyes went wide as he saw Mercedes standing there.

He tore the bag away in shock, calling out his friend's name as the remaining blood sprayed out of the punctured bag and coated his face and chest in the crimson liquid. The dark skinned diva looked like she wanted to run away, screaming at the gory scene she had just walked in on. Stephanie, who had finished her second bag just as the door had swung open, quickly assessed the situation, and took control of the girl, moving to close the door behind her.

"Hey, Mercedes, I know you're scared," The immortal girl smiled reassuringly. "If you'll just sit down for a minute while Kurt cleans himself up and changes his clothes, we'll explain everything to you, okay?"

Kurt was nearly in tears as he slipped into the bathroom to clean himself up. His best friend was terrified of him. He knew he had to wipe her memory, but what if it didn't take? He'd never be able to see her again without worrying if the memory would come back and send her into hysterics.

Blaine came in a moment later with clean clothes. He could see how distressed his boyfriend was, and hugged him. "It'll be alright, Kurt. She's your friend. She'll understand."

"She's terrified of me, Blaine. Did you see the look on her face? She was ready to run screaming. I'll have to wipe her memory, and then I'll never be able to see her again."

The smaller boy turned him to face him. "Hey, you don't have to wipe her memory! She just wasn't expecting to see her best friend covered in blood, that's all. Once we explain things to her, she'll know that there is nothing to be afraid of." Kurt sniffled, and Blaine helped him finish cleaning off the blood and went back out to wait for him to change his clothes.

When Kurt emerged a few minutes later, the other two immortals were sitting beside Mercedes on the bed, each talking to her softly. She looked up at him, tears on her cheeks.

"Kurt?" She spoke softly, and it nearly killed him.

"It's me, Mercedes. I'm the same Kurt you've known for almost two years now. I'd never hurt you."

"Why can't I move right now?" She asked. "I know I wasn't going to walk in here calmly and sit down, but I did just that, but it wasn't me, and now I can't move."

Kurt folded his arms across his chest, looking down at the floor. "Don't be mad, but Stephanie is controlling you, keeping you from screaming and running away. She's not doing it to hurt you, she just wants you to listen to what we have to say. Will you let me explain? Stephanie will release you if you promise to stay and let us tell you everything."

The dark girl nodded her head. "Are you a vampire?"

"We prefer the term immortals," Kurt said, taking a few steps closer and kneeling in front of his best friend. She didn't flinch away, and Kurt sighed in relief as he began to explain. "Have you ever heard of Atlantis?"


	2. Friends and Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How will Kurt's secret affect his friendship with Mercedes? And what happens when Jeff and Nick find out? Read on to find out.

Kurt finished explaining about Atlantis, nanos, and immortals, and sat quietly, waiting for his best friend's reaction. He was scared that she would reject him now, and didn't want to intrude on her thoughts. Every second that passed in silence had his heart sinking more and more.

Mercedes just looked at him for what seemed like hours, but was probably less than a minute. When she finally spoke, Kurt was startled. "White boy, why the hell didn't you tell me all this sooner? I'd have kept my yap shut, I wouldn't go blabbing like some people! Instead you hide it from me and I have to find out by walking in on a scene from some gory horror movie?"

Kurt sat up straighter, taken aback by her anger. "I'm sorry, 'Cedes. I wanted to tell you, but...but I-I..."

"Cut it, Hummel, I get the fact that you need to keep this a secret. And now I assume you're going to use your mind tricks to erase my memory of this, but before you do, answer me one question."

Kurt nodded frantically. "Anything, what do you want to know?"

"Have you ever controlled me or read my thoughts?"

Kurt looked scandalized. "I'd never control you! Well, unless it was to save your life, but no, I've never controlled you, nor have I ever deliberately read your thoughts."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Never deliberately? What does that mean."

Kurt sighed. "Some times my shields slip when I'm tired or under too much stress. When that happens I get bombarded with peoples thoughts whether I want to or not. I've never tried to read your thoughts, but I have heard a few of them on occasion. Nothing too embarrassing or anything, I promise. It's actually how I knew to get you those earrings you loved so much for your birthday last year. You were thinking about them one day in class."

She studied his face again, and nodded. "Fine, not that it matters since I won't remember this tomorrow, will I? I don't even know why you told me anything in the first place. You could have just erased the incident from my mind to begin with."

The three immortals exchanged a look. Kurt sighed. "I'm not going to erase your memory. I trust you, Mercedes. I'd like to be able to talk to someone, besides Artie, who already knows, since he's Stephanie's lifemate, without constantly having to censor myself. You're my best friend."

The diva looked confused. "Lifemate?"

Stephanie smiled at the girl. "As Kurt explained, immortals constantly have to shield their minds from unwanted thoughts. Lifemates can neither read or control each other. You can relax around them, without worrying about them reading your thoughts or manipulating you. For me, finding Artie is even more of a blessing, as I am unable to fully shield my mind. I'm getting better at blocking them out, but it's still like static in my mind constantly when I am around other people. When I'm alone with Artie, it's like pressure being released, and I can feel almost normal again."

Mercedes smiled, wiping a tear from her eye. "That sounds so beautiful. I can see that he cares for you so much."

She returned her look to Kurt, and the dark haired immortal sitting behind him, arms wrapped protectively around the taller boy. "So, you and Blaine...?"

Kurt smiled and leaned back against the shorter boy. "Yes, Blaine is my lifemate. That was one of the reasons I came to Dalton, to convince him to fall in love with me."

She smiled in return, but then a frown crossed her face. "So, what about Karofsky and the jocks at McKinley? Why didn't you just take control of them and make them stop bullying you?"

Kurt frowned, looking down at the floor. "I could have, but I'd have had to reinforce it each time they walked past me in the halls. I can only physically control them when I have an unbroken line of sight. I can plant the idea in their mind that they don't want to bother me, but it weakens over time. It's just too much hassle."

Stephanie reached out and took his hand. "Well, I don't think you'll have to worry too much about Karofsky anymore. He's started seeing a therapist, secretly, of course. I've been monitoring him."

Mercedes looked confused again. "Karofsky? Therapist? What is that about?"

Kurt cleared his throat. "That's not my secret to tell, Mercedes. Please trust me on this. Hopefully things will work out for him, and he'll get up the courage to tell people when he is ready."

The darker girl nodded in understanding. There was a comfortable silence for a moment, but it was shattered when both Kurt's and Mercedes' phones chirped, signaling text messages. Kurt's was from Santana.

Stop macking on that prep school boy and get down here, Lady Lips. It's time to go.-Satan

"Tina says they are getting ready to leave," Mercedes, said, reading her text. "Come on, Boo. Let's go say our good nights!"

…

Monday afternoon, Kurt was sitting in the library during study hall, absently staring off in to space, when Blaine found him. "Hey, what's up? You look like you're a million miles away. Something bothering you?"

Kurt smiled at him. "Sorry, I guess I'm still just bummed that we lost on Saturday."

Blaine couldn't read the other boy's mind, but was pretty sure there was more to it than that, but knew there was no point pushing for more information. Kurt would tell him when he was ready. He smiled at his boyfriend, and sat beside him. "Well, I can see where you'd be bummed about missing a free trip to New York. But spring break is only two weeks away. We'll be going to Toronto, for a week in a penthouse apartment. We'll be going to see Lady Gaga in concert, plus, didn't your aunt also get us tickets for two musicals?"

Kurt smiled and nodded. "Yes, Wicked and Hair Spray. You should audition for Hair Spray some day. You'd be perfect for the part of Corny Collins."

Blaine laughed. "Only if you play Link."

They laughed and shared a quick kiss, pulling back before they could get too distracted. Just then Nick and Jeff joined them. "Hey guys! Nick and I are having a party Friday night, seven PM, at Nick's house. You two better be there!"

Kurt smiled at them. "I'll have to talk to my dad first, but I should be able to go."

Nick smiled. "Great! See you in Warbler practice later!"

…

Blaine knew that Kurt was getting restless there at Dalton. He knew that despite all the bad memories of his old school, the pale boy missed his friends immensely. He hated seeing his boyfriend looking so depressed. He knew the other boy wanted to go back to McKinley, and felt guilty that the only thing keeping the countertenor here at Dalton was Blaine himself.

He didn't know how to bring it up to the pale boy, though. By Friday he'd come up with a dozen different ways to start the conversation, but never got up the nerve. They got ready to go to Nick and Jeff's party, deciding to go together in Kurt's new custom SUV, courtesy of Uncle Lucian, complete with hidden mini fridge, as well as a few other surprises.

They arrived shortly after seven-thirty, the party already in full swing. The music was pounding throughout the house, thanks to a seriously awesome sound system with hidden speakers in almost every room. Aside from the Warblers, there were other Dalton boys who were friends of Nick and Jeff's, as well as some girls from Crawford Country Day, Dalton's sister school, and some of the other boys had invited their girlfriends.

Almost as soon as the boys entered, Thad greeted them, handing each of them a cup that reeked of alcohol. Kurt tried to decline, but Thad was rather insistent. "Come on, Kurtie! One cup won't hurt you!"

Kurt rolled his eyes. It was true, one cup wouldn't even affect him, but it would make the nanos work harder to remove the alcohol from his system, which would make it necessary to drink more blood later. He shrugged and gave in, accepting the drink. He and Blaine wandered around, talking with their friends and dancing. Their cups kept getting refilled, despite Kurt's resolve not to drink too much.

Almost everyone else at the party were in various stages of intoxication. Even Wes had a mild buzz going. He frowned as Kurt sat beside him. "How do you do it, man?"

The blue eyed boy looked at him in confusion. "Do what?"

Wes frowned. "You must have drank at least half a gallon of various types of booze, and you're completely sober!"

Kurt laughed, studying his friend, noting the slouched shoulders and obvious signs of being drunk. He shrugged, and spoke casually. "Must be the parasitic nanos in my blood that flush the alcohol out of my body before it can affect me."

The Asian boy looked at him, his intoxicated state making it hard to process what the younger boy had said at first, but once he understood it, he began to giggle. "Parasitic nanos! That's so funny, Kurt! You're such a comedian!"

Kurt just laughed with the other boy, patting him on the back before Blaine came back from the bathroom and reclaimed him for another dance, where they were plied with more alcohol. By ten, both he and Blaine could feel the nanos seeking more blood as they worked to remove the alcohol. Kurt tried to lead them out to the SUV for a couple of bags each, but their hosts cut them off.

"Hey, come on guys, you can't leave yet!" Jeff said, a little whine in his voice as he leaned heavily on his shorter boyfriend.

Nick, who seemed more sober than the blonde, nodded his head. "Yeah, come on, it's not even ten-thirty yet."

Blaine smiled at them. "We're not leaving. We were just going to get some fresh air."

"Uh huh," Jeff said, smirking. "You guys can't go make out in the cars, either! Come on, Kurt! Dance with me!"

Before he could protest, the blonde boy had dragged him back to where people were dancing. The auburn haired boy glanced back at Blaine, who was frowning and rubbing his stomach as the cramps began to get worse. He tried to walk back over to where the shorter boy was standing with Nick, but Jeff laughed and pulled him back. The blonde Warbler was kind of clingy when he was drunk.

"Come on, Kurtie, Dance with me! Blaine will be fine with Nick! I promise, he doesn't bite!"

Kurt sighed and turned back to the taller boy. "No, but Blaine might."

Jeff laughed, thinking Kurt was joking. Unfortunately, the pale boy wasn't joking. Blaine was a new turn, and he hadn't yet had to deal with the debilitating pain the nanos could cause when blood became scarce. Many new turns had difficulty controlling their teeth or their urges to feed when the pain began to get bad. He tried to keep his lifemate in view, to monitor his condition, but it was difficult with Jeff pulling him deeper into the dancing crowd.

It also didn't help that Jeff was drunkenly singing at the top of his lungs. When sober, the other boy had an amazing voice that was smooth and pleasant and had a nice range. Unfortunately when he was drunk, there was nothing smooth to the voice, and Kurt couldn't help laughing and being distracted by the almost cat on a fence screech coming from the boy. When the song changed to something a little slower, Kurt glanced back to here Blaine and Nick had been standing.

They weren't there.

A sense of dread came over Kurt, and he pulled away from Jeff and moved quickly to the spot, not noticing that the blonde had followed him, his only focus on finding his lifemate before the boy could do something he'd regret, or worse...

…

It hurts so bad! Blaine thought. He couldn't ever remember feeling cramps this bad in his stomach. It was hard to concentrate on what Nick was saying as he watched Kurt dancing with Jeff. He smiled fondly at his boyfriend as the pale boy laughed at the other boy's overly dramatic facial features as he sang.

"Are you alright, Blainers? You keep clutching your stomach, and you're literally whimpering in pain."

Blaine turned to look at his friend, but found his gaze stuck on the pulse in the other boy's throat.

"Blaine?" Nick asked again, but he couldn't seem to tear his gaze away from that tempting spot. He felt that curious shifting in his gums, but hadn't realized his fangs had dropped until Nick swore. "Jesus Blaine!"

The next thing Blaine knew, the other Warbler had grabbed his arm and had dragged him down the hall and into a bedroom. "Snap out of it, Blaine!"

The curly haired boy blinked and tried to lick his lips, only then noticing his fangs. A look of horror crossed over his face as he looked at the other boy, wondering how Nick could be so calm. "Oh, crap! I'm sorry Nick!"

"Blaine!" Kurt called out, rushing into the room, Jeff following a moment later. Blaine sighed with relief, seeing Kurt, and rushing over into the boy's arms.

"My fangs popped out. Nick saw them." He all but sobbed into the taller immortal's shoulder, barely audible enough for Kurt to hear, knowing neither of the others could hear.

…

Kurt looked towards the other boy, glad to see he was unharmed. The dark haired, blue eyed Warbler smiled at him. "I take it Blainers needs blood? I assume you have some in your vehicle? I'm sorry we stopped you from going out to get it. That's what you were trying to do earlier, wasn't it?"

Kurt was shocked the two boys were standing their so calmly. "H-how did you know?"

Jeff giggled. "I stole Blaine's books, those Luc Amerault ones. I figured it out when the second book talked about Etienne Argeneau being a computer programmer and being the creator of Blood Lust. It took Nick a little longer to figure it out."

Kurt nodded, his thoughts racing. "Um, how many of the books have you read so far?"

Jeff had to think for a moment, his thoughts still a little clouded from the alcohol. "Uh, I just started The Rogue Hunter. Nick is on Vampire, Interrupted. Why?"

Kurt sighed, pulling his phone from his pocket and dialing. A sleepy voice answered on the third ring.

"Kurt?"

"Hey, sorry if I woke you, but this is important. Jeff knows about us. He stole Blaine's books, and he's almost up to Dani's story."

There was a pause on the other side. "Put him on, please."

Kurt handed the phone to Jeff, who looked confused. "Stephanie?"

While the blonde talked to his cousin, Kurt turned back to Nick. "I'm going to get some blood for Blaine, and then we'll talk. Wait here, Please."

Kurt made certain his lifemate was okay, then moved as quickly as he could without using preternatural speed, grabbing a small trash bag from the glove compartment and quickly filled it up with a half a dozen bags, and returned to the guest bedroom.

He handed Blaine the first bag. The dark haired boy glanced around at the other two boys, a little self conscious, and turned his back before slapping the bag to his fangs. Kurt smiled at him and rubbed his back soothingly, as he glanced over at Nick.

Nick smiled at him. "I'm guessing you were born immortal?"

Kurt nodded. "Yeah, and for the record, yes, I really am only sixteen, at least for another month and a half."

Nick continued to smile. "So, all those aunts, uncles, and cousins of yours you keep talking about, they're all immortal?"

Kurt nodded again. "Everyone but my stepbrother, Finn. He still doesn't know about us, so please don't say anything around him, or any of the others. Only Mercedes and Artie know, and Artie only knows because he is Stephanie's lifemate."

Nick frowned at this. "Stephanie, as in Jeff's cousin?"

At that, Jeff handed the cell phone back to Kurt, looking much more sober than he had a few minutes ago. "She's immortal, now. A rogue attacked her and Dani."

Kurt smiled sympathetically at the taller boy. "Yes, I didn't want you to find out the truth through the books. Did she explain everything to you?"

The other boy swallowed hard and nodded. "Endentates, no-fangers, rogues. Leonius." The last word was spoken as if it left a nasty taste in the boy's mouth. Kurt nodded and patted him on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry she couldn't tell you the truth sooner. Don't be mad at us about deceiving you. Stephanie was really happy when she found out you were here. She's really missed her family."

Jeff smiled at him. "No worries, Kurt. I understand. And now that I know the truth, I'm glad I can be there for her." They smiled and shook hands.

"Besides," Kurt teased, "We're practically family now."


	3. Meeting the Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our boys go on vacation, and meet more of Kurt's extended family! I'll be introducing Harper and Drina, Thomas and Inez, Lucern and Kate, and Alex and Cale! Check the A/N in the last chapter of A Bite of Klaine to learn the reading list for the books.

The week before spring break seemed to crawl by. By Friday, all the boys at Dalton were restless, and very few of them wanted to focus on work. Most of the teachers seemed to realize this and allowed them to talk quietly among themselves.

Kurt, Blaine, Nick and Jeff sat at the back of their shared AP History class, talking about their plans for the week. Neither Blaine nor Kurt had told anyone about their upcoming trip. Nick was currently whining that his parents were forcing him to spend the week with his homophobic grandparents, and that he wouldn't get to see Jeff at all, since the blonde was going to California to visit his Dad's side of the family, and then flying to Winnipeg, Canada, on Thursday for a family reunion with his mom's side the last weekend of break.

Jeff didn't seem particularly happy about the situation, either. "So, what are you two doing for the week?"

Kurt looked up and smiled at the other boys, and holding Blaine's hand. "My Aunt Marguerite made arrangements for us to visit Toronto for the week. We'll be staying at my cousin Drina's penthouse. Well, technically it's her lifemate, Harper's penthouse."

"No way! You guys get to spend a week in a penthouse? Is it going to be just the two of you?" Jeff asked.

"Actually, no. Stephanie and Artie are coming as well. Aunt Marguerite also got us tickets to see a couple of musicals, and to a concert." Kurt spoke the last part casually, but he could see Nick's look of concentration.

"Concert? You don't mean...? No way!"

Jeff looked confused. "What concert?"

The other three boys grinned, and spoke in unison. "Lady Gaga!"

The rest of the class turned to stare at them as the blonde boy squealed loudly. "Oh my Gaga! You guys are so lucky! And I'm going to strangle Stephanie for not telling me!"

Kurt laughed. "You can talk to her this afternoon. Marguerite arranged a vehicle to pick her and Artie up from McKinley, and then come and get us and drive us to Columbus to catch our flight."

The bell rang, signaling the end of class, and they headed to the dining hall for lunch. They sat with the other Warblers, who all were also talking about their plans for the nine days off. David looked a little miserable when he spoke. "I'm having surgery on Sunday, so my week will be spent recovering, in bed."

"What kind of surgery?" Blaine asked, concerned.

David sighed. "You know how I've been limping some the last couple of weeks? Well, apparently I have some damaged cartilage in my foot. My dad's college roommate is one of the best orthopedic surgeons in the country, and he's going to be in Columbus this week, so Dad convinced him to operate."

Wes patted his friend on the back. "Hopefully surgery will help your dancing skills."

They all laughed at the dark skinned boy.

"Well, Kurt and Blaine have us all beat for spring break activities." Jeff interjected. "They're going to spend a week in Toronto in a Penthouse apartment, and they are going to see Lady Gaga in concert!"

A murmur of excitement went up around the table, and the other boys all bombarded the two with questions.

When the final bell of the day rang, the hallways filled with shouts as the boys all rushed to put away their school books and prepare to for their vacations. Kurt and Blaine met in Kurt's room, where Blaine had left his bags earlier. They both quickly took turns changing out of their uniforms, grabbed a quick bag of blood each, and then carried their luggage downstairs, reaching the door just as two vehicles pulled up. One of them was a Limousine, the other a small black van.

The driver of the limo came around to the sidewalk. "Mr. Hummel? Mr. Anderson?"

Both boys looked at each other, surprised, then turned back to the driver. Kurt nodded at him. The man smiled kindly in return, opening the back door. "Allow me to take your luggage and place it in the van."

Kurt shrugged and slipped into the backseat, where Stephanie and Artie were waiting. "Hi guys! This is a surprise!"

Artie laughed. "Yeah, you should have seen the faces of everyone at McKinley! Especially when the driver helped me into the back and stored my chair."

"Oh, there's Jeff! I'm going to say hello to him real quick!" Stephanie said as Blaine slipped into the car as well. They watched the girl hug her cousin, and could hear their conversation through the open door. There was a quick argument over her not telling him about the concert, and then she reminded him not to tell anyone at the family reunion about her. They hugged again, and the girl climbed back into the limo. The driver closed the door, and got back behind the wheel.

The four teens chatted about the upcoming events as they sipped sparkling cider from Champagne flutes, and nibbled on the cheese and cracker tray they had been provided. Artie seemed particularly excited about the trip. "So, am I going to get to meet this mysterious Aunt Marguerite this week? Stephanie has been telling me about her, and making her sound like some mythological being."

Kurt laughed. "Well, she is rather...hard to describe. I'm sure you'll get the chance to meet her. I wouldn't be surprised if she and Julius were there to greet us when we arrive."

When they got to the airport in Columbus, Artie and Blaine were both surprised when they drove past the terminals and towards the back side of the large complex where several small hangers were located.

"Don't we need to check in for our flight at the terminal?" Artie asked.

Kurt laughed, and Stephanie smiled at him. "The Argeneau's tend to do things their own way. Relax."

As they approached one of the hangers, a small private jet was being towed out on to the tarmac. Blaine, being somewhat of a plane buff, whistled lightly. "Is that a Gulfstream 150? I wonder whose it is? I'd love to see the interior."

Kurt and Stephanie exchanged a look, and began to giggle as the limo pulled up beside the plane, while a crew member lowered a set of stairs. Blaine blinked, and looked at Kurt, then back at the mid sized jet in awe. The van that had followed with their Luggage and Artie's wheelchair pulled up towards the back of the small airplane and began unloading their bags into the storage compartment. Artie's wheelchair was carried into the cabin as the other teens exited the limo.

A gentleman in an attendant's uniform approached the side of the limo and lifted Artie out. "Mr. Abrams, my name is Chad, and I'll escort you to your seat. If there is anything you need to make your trip more comfortable, please, feel free to ask."

The others watched as the attendant carried Artie on to the plane, then followed behind. They watched as the older male carefully set the geeky baritone in a seat, and took a step back, allowing the boy to adjust himself and fasten his own seat belt. Kurt could tell the boy was a bit flustered about being carried, and was glad the attendant wasn't going to coddle the boy as some adults tended to do. Artie hated to be coddled.

Artie was self conscious about having to be carried on to the plane, but Stephanie took his hand and smiled at him. Kurt knew she wanted to say something to the boy, but Artie had asked them to erase the part of his memory about the nanos being able to make him walk one day. They couldn't remind him yet, not until they were both ready.

As the other three took their seats, Chad smiled at them all. "We'll be ready to take off here in about ten minutes. Once we're in the air, I'll bring you all some snacks and drinks. In the meantime, can I get anyone a pillow, our anything?"

They all declined graciously, and Chad smiled in return. "Okay, I'm going to make certain the luggage is secured. Mr. Abrams, you're chair is in the compartment under the bench seat here. Once we reach Toronto, you'll be able to disembark directly into the terminal, where Daniel will be waiting to escort you all."

Once Chad had left them to themselves, they all began to talk again. Blaine was impressed by the interior of the plane, and was excited to be flying on a private jet. His family was well off, and he had flown first class a few times, but had never been on a small plane before.

Once they were settled in, and the plane began to taxi towards the runway, the sense of excitement and adventure over took them. They were all laughing and smiling as the plane began to accelerate towards it's take off.

As promised, once in the air, Chad reappeared with sodas, sandwiches, and mini cakes for each of them. The four teens talked excitedly about what was in store for them this week. The flight passed quickly, and once they landed in Toronto and taxied to their gate, Chad retrieved Artie's chair. Kurt helped the younger boy into it, and Stephanie pushed him into the terminal. A smiling young man with coffee colored skin greeted them.

"Hello, I'm Daniel. Mr. Stoyen sends his greetings. If you will follow me, I'll escort you to the helipad."

Blaine and Artie looked confused. "Mr. Stoyen?" Blaine asked.

"Helipad?" Was Artie's question.

Stephanie hugged the younger boy and answered both of their questions. "Harper Stoyen owns the penthouse where we are staying. The fastest way to get their from here is by helicopter."

Daniel smiled and nodded. "Yes, a car will take your luggage, but we will go directly there so that the four of you can relax for a while before you need to prepare for dinner."

"Don't we need to check in with customs first?" Blaine asked. Kurt smiled at his lifemate.

"Don't worry, it's been taken care of. Remember, the Argeneau's do things their own way." He winked at the shorter boy.

They reached the helicopter pad, where Kurt and Blaine helped Artie into the compartment. As the baritone strapped himself in, the wheelchair was stored under the seat and secured. The other three took their seats, strapping in and putting on headsets so they could communicate during the short slight. They were surprised when the young looking Daniel took the pilot's seat and began doing a pre-flight check. Kurt and Stephanie had realized immediately that the male was an immortal, but hadn't realized he would be their pilot. Blaine was still too new to be able to sense the difference.

Once they were in the air again, they all oohed and ahhed over their first flight in a helicopter. Daniel pointed out some of the sights to them, including the venue where they would see Lady Gaga on Friday.

They landed on top of one of Toronto's tallest buildings. Artie's chair was unloaded and carried down the short flight of steps, and then Blaine carried Artie down to it. Stephanie lead the way to the elevator, bouncing lightly on her toes as they waited.

Artie smiled at her. "Are you excited to be back here?"

Stephanie shook her head no. "It's not that. Harper and Drina are here! I can sense them! Marguerite and Julius are here too. I'm not sure who the other two are, though."

The Elevator pinged and the doors opened into the private foyer, and Stephanie rushed forward as the others followed. The six adults all stood as they entered. The girl rushed forward and hugged a tall blonde male and a dark haired woman. Kurt recognized the woman as his cousin, Drina.

He had only met the woman once before, at his Mother's funeral. She smiled sweetly at him and hugged him as he approached. "Kurt! My, how much you've grown!"

He smiled and hugged her back, then took in the other couples. He almost shouted when he saw the shorter blonde man. "Thomas! Oh my Gaga! What are you doing here?"

Of all his cousins, Thomas was his favorite. He had visited Kurt at least once a year every summer since Kurt could remember, except for the year he'd met Inez, his lifemate, and they had gone to Portugal to visit her family. Kurt was really happy to see the older immortal, and to finally meet the other male's lifemate.

He hugged the blonde, and smiled at the tiny woman beside him as his cousin spoke. "Inez had some business here in Toronto this week for Bastien, and when I heard you'd be here this week, I volunteered to act as chaperon for the four of you. Kurt, this is Inez. Inez, this is one of my favorite cousins, Kurt Hummel."

Kurt laughed and hugged the woman, and introduced them to the others. He also introduced Aunt Marguerite and Julius, and Stephanie introduced Harper and Drina. Aunt Marguerite hugged all of them. "Well, dears, you're luggage will be here in about thirty minutes. Stephanie, why don't you show Arthur where he will be staying, and Drina can show the other boys where they will be staying. Once the luggage arrives, you can all freshen up, and then we'll head out for dinner. Alex has prepared something special for us."

Kurt smiled. "Is this the Alex who owns the two French bistros?"

His aunt smiled at him in return. "Yes, and if all goes as planned, she'll be opening a third next summer. Cale is in New York right now looking for possible locations. He said to tell you hello, and he hopes to see you later this week."

"Wonderful!" He followed Drina down the hall, Blaine beside him. The ancient immortal female smiled at them as she lead them to one of the guest rooms.

"You boys will be in this room. Thomas and Inez are down the hall. Harper and I will be returning to Port Henry after dinner. Stephanie and Artie are in the other wing."

"Thank you, Drina. Will you be back at all this week?" Kurt asked. He'd hoped to get to know her better. There were so many of his cousins he knew only by name, that he hadn't had a chance to get to know yet. Drina and Cale were two he'd like to get to know better.

Drina smiled at him. "We'll be back on Saturday. Marguerite has your itinerary for the week, she'll talk to you about it at dinner. And you'll get to meet Alex, Cale's lifemate tonight. You'll love her. She's nearly as fluent in French as you are!"

She hugged him again, and then left him and Blaine to explore their room. The dark haired boy was impressed.

"I wasn't expecting for us to share a room" He eyed the bigger than king size bed.

Kurt smiled and hugged him from behind. "They trust us. Besides, we're lifemates. They know that separating us is pointless." He took the shorter boy's hand and laid down on the bed, scooting over to make room for the other boy,

Blaine smiled and laid down beside him. "You know, I'm having a little trouble picturing you like this."

"What do you mean?" Kurt asked, placing his hand over the other boy's heart.

Blaine smiled and put his own hand over the other boy's. "I've seen your home in Lima, and met your dad and Carole. Your home is comfy and lived in and filled with love, and so middle class." He shrugged a little at the look Kurt gave him. "I like your home. But you seemed so comfortable in the limo and on the jet, and now here in this magnificent penthouse. It's hard to tell which is the real you."

Kurt frowned a little. "Does it bother you that my relatives are wealthy?"

Blaine smiled and shook his head. "I'm not interested in the money. You know my family is fairly well off, though nothing compared to this. I just want you to be happy, and I guess it just kind of surprised me that you are just as comfortable here in this luxury as in that house filled with love in Lima."

Kurt smiled at him. "This penthouse is filled with as much love as my home in Lima. It's not the location or size or anything material. It's the people in it that make me so comfortable. You'll understand as the week goes on. I'm fairly certain you'll get to meet more of my family while we're here, and you'll see what I mean. Even if I haven't met most of them in person, I know they love me, and I love them. It's just the way we are."

Blaine smiled. After his parents' divorce, and his father's treatment of him after he came out, he wasn't used to such a close family bond. Sure, he loved his mother, and she loved him, but he wasn't really close with anyone else in his family, not even Cooper. "It must be nice to have such a large extended family."

Kurt hugged him close. "They're your family now, too, you know."

Blaine was shocked by that little tidbit. He hadn't even thought about that beyond Burt and Carole and Finn. Before he could say anything else, Thomas knocked on the open door and smiled. He was carrying their bags. "The luggage is here. Aunt Marguerite says you have an hour to get ready. Dress nicely."

Kurt laughed and helped him sort out the bags. "You shower first, Blaine. I'll pick out an out fit for you."

As Blaine dug out his travel bag, Thomas spoke again. "Just so you know, The grump and his lifemate will be joining us for dinner. Don't be offended when he treats you like two year olds. He's gotten better since marrying Kate, but he still thinks of anyone under six hundred years old as children."

Kurt laughed. "Thanks for the warning."

Blaine wasn't certain who they were talking about, but just shrugged it off as he headed into the shower.

…

An hour and a half later, two limousines pulled up in front of a quaint little building with a sign out front that proclaimed this to be "Le Bonne Vie Deux." Another small sign on the door read, "Closed for a private party. Will reopen for regular hours on Saturday."

As they exited the limos, Kurt glanced at Blaine and the other two teens. Stephanie was looking good in an elegant black dress, her hair done up in an intricate braid, thanks to Drina's deft fingers. Artie was looking pretty fly in a dark blue suit, his hair spiked slightly. Blaine was wearing black chinos, black button up, a understated black vest and a thin red tie. Kurt thought he looked hot. Kurt himself was wearing black skinny jeans, a sapphire blue button up, and a black and silver vest. Instead of a tie, he wore a large silver key pendant.

Aunt Marguerite, Julius, Drina, Harper, Thomas and Inez all exited the second limo. As they approached the door to the restaurant, a small blonde woman opened it, smiling at them. Blaine assumed this was Alex, the restaurant owner. Marguerite quickly dispelled this thought though as he she greeted the woman.

"Kate! You look magnificent! How are you, darling?"

The woman laughed, hugging the older immortal. "I'm good, mother. A little tired from trying to get everything all set up for Luc's next tour. He's being stubborn again. You'll talk to him, I hope?"

"Of course, dear! Don't you worry, I'll have my son straightened out in no time. Kate, may I introduce my great nephew, Kurt, his lifemate Blaine, and this is Stephanie McGill and her lifemate, Arthur Abrams."

As they shook hands, Blaine perked up. "You're Lucern's Lifemate! Luc Amerault is here?"

The petite blonde laughed. "Let me guess, you're a fan of his books?" Blaine nodded excitedly. "Well, come on in and I'll introduce you."

They entered and found the dinning room had been rearranged so that several tables were pushed together to make one long table. A distracted looking man sat at the table, going over notes in the leather bound notebook in front of him. "Luc, put it away! Your mom is here!"

The man didn't even glance up until his mother reached out and pulled the notebook away. "Lucern Argeneau! I know I taught you better manners than that! We have guests!"

The tall man grunted and stood up. "Hello, Mother. I'm sorry. I was just going over the outline for my next book."

"That's better. Hello, Luc, darling. Let me introduce you to our company. This is your cousin, Kurt, who I know you've corresponded with before. The gentleman beside him is his lifemate, Blaine, who is apparently a big fan of yours. And then you've met Stephanie, and this is her lifemate, Arthur."

They all shook hands, and Blaine was ecstatic when Luc signed an ARC of his next book that Kate had in her portfolio and presented it to the boy. Just then another woman entered from the kitchen carrying a large platter.

"Ahh, Alex!" Aunt Marguerite exclaimed. "Smells delicious! Come let me introduce you to Cale's cousin and his friends."

After the introductions, Kurt smiled at the woman. "J'aime le décor ici. Vous avez l'excellent goût."

She beamed at him. "Merci, vous parlez français parfaitement!"

"Merci. Quelque chose sent délicieuse. Qu'avez-vous préparé pour nous?"

She laughed, and switched to English. "Beef Burgundy, noodles in a cream sauce, asparagus, and a lemon torte for dessert. I hope you don't mind if we serve it family style tonight."

"Sounds fabulous!" Blaine said with a smile. "Do you need help bringing everything out?"

Both he and Kurt helped her bring in the last few serving dishes, and they all sat down to eat. The older immortals were good about including the teens in the conversation, and they all enjoyed the evening.

As dessert was served, Aunt Marguerite addressed the younger ones. "So, I have an itinerary for you all this week. It's not set in stone, so if there is anything you wish to change, just let Thomas and Inez know, but I think you'll enjoy most of the activities listed. Tonight, of course, you'll return to the penthouse for an early evening. Tomorrow, if you like, I've made arrangements for you all to visit a couple of museums, and tomorrow night Thomas and Inez will take you to a club where you can all dance and have some fun."

She handed Kurt a neatly stacked and stapled parcel of papers with the week's activities listed. The four teens looked over it, smiling. "Wonderland?" Artie asked.

Stephanie smiled at him. "It's Canada's version of Disneyland."

"What's the Singing Spot?" Kurt asked, pointing to Wednesday evening.

"It's a cafe where they have open mic night every Wednesday. I know you all love to sing. You don't have to perform if you don't feel like it, but I thought you might enjoy it anyway." Aunt Marguerite said with a smile.

As the evening came to a close, Kurt hugged his aunt. "Thank you, Marguerite. This week is going to be amazing!"

She smiled at him fondly. "I truly hope so, darling."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Translations;
> 
> I love the décor here. You have great taste
> 
> Thank you. You speak French perfectly.
> 
> Thank you. Something smells delicious. What have you prepared for us?
> 
> (If there are any translation mistakes, I blame google :) )


	4. Not All Fun and Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spring break continues!

Saturday morning, Kurt and Blaine were the first ones to wake, and decided to make breakfast for everyone. They were singing along with the radio as they made waffles, sausages, eggs, and fruit salad. Stephanie and Artie arrived a short time later, and joined in the singing as they set the table. Thomas and Inez arrived just in time to hear the four harmonize on California Dreamin' By the Mamas and Papas. The two older immortals smiled and clapped as they all sat down for breakfast.

"You all sing so beautifully!" Inez smiled. "We'll have to visit you all the next time you compete!"

Kurt smiled wistfully. "Artie and Stephanie will be competing in New York in six weeks. Sadly, they beat us out at Regionals."

Blaine noticed the longing look in his boyfriend's eyes. He knew Kurt really wanted to rejoin his friends at McKinley. He vowed to himself that sometime this week when the two of them were alone, he would talk to the boy about it.

"So Thomas, are you going to sing for us this week?" Kurt asked.

The older male laughed. "Maybe. You know I'm more comfortable writing the music than singing it."

"You write music?" Blaine asked, intrigued. "Anything I might recognize?"

Kurt smiled. "You'd probably recognize a lot of the songs he has written, but most of his biggest hits are attributed to other artists. Thomas made them think they wrote them."

"Why?" Artie looked confused.

Inez patted her lifemate's hand gently. "Thomas was afraid that if the men in his family found out he wrote music, they'd taunt him for it."

Blaine heard Kurt mutter something that sounded like "Damn Jean Claude." Thomas just shrugged.

"Who is Jean Claude?"

The room got so silent you could hear a pin drop. Blaine and Artie exchanged a look. Kurt cleared his throat. "You read the books. Do you remember them talking about Lucian's twin?"

Blaine thought back, and then his eyes went wide. "Oh. Yeah. Sorry, Thomas."

The older male shrugged it off. "It's okay, you didn't know." Artie still looked confused. Thomas smiled at him. "Jean Claude was my uncle, Aunt Marguerite's first husband. He was a cruel bastard who made Marguerite's life miserable, and tried to make every one else miserable too."

Kurt frowned at his food. "I met him once, not long before he died. I was four, I think. He knew I was gay, of course, even though I still hadn't realized it. He...didn't approve."

Blaine put his arm around the taller boy, and Thomas reached over to take his pale hand. "You know everyone else in the family loves you. He's gone now. Don't let his ghost ruin your life." They finished breakfast in silence, then all scattered to get ready for the day.

...

They spent the morning at The Bata Shoe Museum, much to the delight of Kurt, Stephanie, and Inez. After lunch at a quaint little Italian place, they moved on to The Royal Ontario Museum. Artie and Blaine, who were both somewhat nerdish, enjoyed the natural history exhibits. Afterwards, they did a little shopping and sight seeing.

They had dinner at the original Le Bonne Vie, this time joining the regular dinner crowd. Alex came out to greet them briefly, but had to hurry back to the Kitchen to keep up with the orders. After they ate, they returned to the penthouse to change before going out to the dance club.

...

The Candy Factory was located in a converted factory, and was an all ages dance club. No alcohol was allowed. Stephanie mentioned on the drive over that Harper owned the club, which had only opened the year before. "He let me pick the name."

Stephanie led them to the entrance, where she waved at the two burly immortal bouncers at the door. "Luis! Jacques! Hi!"

The red headed Luis smiled at her as the six of them stopped at the door. "Miss Stephanie! Haven't seen you in a while. How have you been?"

She smiled at him. "I've been good. Been staying with family down in Ohio. This is my cousin Kurt, and his Lifemate Blaine. That's Kurt's other cousin, Thomas and his lifemate Inez. And this is Artie. He's my lifemate."

Luis looked at the wheelchair bound boy in surprise. "Well, how do you do? It's a pleasure to meet you all." He smiled at Artie. "Take care of this one, okay? She's really special. She helped me find my lifemate." He reached over and took Jacques' hand.

They all smiled, and Luis insisted on paying for their first round of drinks.

Inside the club, the music was loud, but not overly so. Most of the patrons seemed to be teenagers, but they could see older people there as well. Stephanie led them to the VIP section, where she was greeted by several more people. They took a secluded booth in the back where they could still hear the music, but could talk comfortably as well. The place smelled like melted chocolate, and the décor looked like it could have been designed by Willy Wonka.

"This place used to be a chocolate factory," Stephanie explained. "The décor is a little cheesy, but the music is good, and they have some awesome food."

Their waitress approached the table. The mortal girl was a little too flirty towards Blaine for Kurt's liking, and he made a show of holding the shorter boy's hand and snuggling closer as they placed their orders. Stephanie ordered several appetizer samplers. "Harper created the menu here. He used to be a chef to an emperor!"

Kurt's phone chimed a text message. He smiled when he saw Mercedes' smile and quickly read the text. "Mercedes says hi all. She's visiting her grandma in Georgia."

He quickly took a selfie of the four of them waving, and sent it along with a quick message. Their food and drinks arrived, and they all tried a little of everything. "Oh my Gaga! These Foie Gras Fries are so good!" Kurt moaned.

Inez nodded in agreement. "These clams remind me of a dish my Grandmother used to make back in Portugal!"

"What's this?" Blaine asked looking at some kind of hot, cheesy dip.

"It's seafood dip. It has lobster and crab meat in a marinara type sauce with four kinds of cheese! Try some with a bread stick!" Stephanie said, taking some herself.

Artie smiled and tried some, as well as some bruschette with thinly shaved beef and various toppings.

"Come on, let's dance, Kurt!" Blaine said after they had tried several different types of appetizers. The pale boy laughed and followed his lifemate out on to the dance floor. Kurt was encouraged to see that they weren't the only same sex couple in the crowd, and allowed Blaine to pull him in closer. They danced through three songs, when a familiar tune began to play. Kurt laughed even harder as Blaine began to sing along.

You think I'm pretty,  
Without any makeup on  
You think I'm funny,  
When I tell the punchline wrong  
I know you get me,  
So I let my walls come down, down

Before you met me,  
I was alright, but things,  
Were kinda heavy  
You brought me to life  
Now every February,  
You'll be my Valentine, Valentine

Let's go all the way tonight  
No regrets, just love  
We can dance until we die

You and I we'll be young forever!

Kurt had to laugh at that line. It was true. They would be young forever, together. He joined his lifemate singing the rest of the song. People around them were smiling at their antics.

You make me (feel like I'm livin' a) teenage dream  
(The way you turn me on)  
I can't sleep (Let's run away and,)  
Don't ever look back, don't ever look back

My heart stops when you look at me  
Just one touch  
(Now baby I believe) this is real  
(So take a chance and,)  
Don't ever look back, don't ever look back

We drove to Cali,  
And got drunk on the beach  
Got a motel and,  
Built a fort out of sheets  
I finally found you,  
My missing puzzle piece  
I'm complete

Let's go all the way tonight  
No regrets, just love  
We can dance until we die

You and I we'll be young forever!

You make me (feel like I'm livin' a) teenage dream  
(The way you turn me on)  
I can't sleep (Let's run away and,)  
Don't ever look back, don't ever look back

My heart stops when you look at me  
Just one touch  
(Now baby I believe) this is real  
(So take a chance and,)  
Don't ever look back, don't ever look back

Stephanie and Artie had reached them now, and were also singing along.

I'm a get your heart racing,  
In my skin-tight jeans,  
Be your teenage dream tonight  
Let you put your hands on me  
In my skin-tight jeans  
Be your teenage dream tonight

Uh, oh, woah (Tonight, tonight)  
Uhhhhhhh... (Tonight, tonight)

Yeah! Make me!  
(You make me) feel like I'm livin' a teenage dream  
The way you turn me on  
I can't sleep  
Let's run away and,

Don't ever look back (Don't ever look)  
Don't ever look back (Don't ever look)

My heart stops Yeah! When you look at me)  
Just one touch  
Now baby I believe  
This is real  
(So take a chance and) (Blaine: Oh, whoa!)  
Don't ever look back (Don't ever look)  
Don't ever look back (Don't ever look)

I'm a get your heart racing  
In my skin-tight jeans  
Be your teenage dream tonight  
Let you put your hands on me  
In my skin-tight jeans  
Be your teenage dream tonight

The four teens laughed and hugged each other. They danced together for a few more songs, and were heading back towards their table when another familiar song began, and Artie looked up at Kurt.

"Oh, god, you have to Kurt! Come on! He's bound to see it on YouTube if you don't!"

Blaine and Stephanie looked at each other in confusion, but Kurt just grinned, and moved back a couple of steps until he was just on the edge of the dance floor. As Single Ladies played, the pale immortal laughed and began doing the dance steps. At first Blaine was shocked, but then he began to laugh and cheer his boyfriend on. After a moment, several of the dancers behind him noticed and joined in with him. Soon the entire crowd was cheering him on. Stephanie even joined him towards the end.

Thomas and Inez had come out to watch the teens, and were clapping loudly as the rest of the crowd applauded them as well. Kurt was starting to think he liked Toronto very much if the people were this accepting. He smiled at the teens who were all trying to shake his hand, and waved when he and Blaine and the others went back to their table to drink some more and finish off the appetizers.

They were enjoying themselves very much. Even Thomas and Inez joined them on the dance floor for a while. By the time they finally called it a night, they were all exhausted, but happy.

Kurt and Blaine made their way to their room, and got ready for bed, talking about how much fun they had, and how nice everyone had been. They climbed into bed, snuggling together.

"It's good to see you smiling so much!" Blaine said. "Lately you've seemed a little sad."

Kurt looked at him with a frown. "What do you mean?"

"Listen, Kurt, I know you miss McKinley and New Directions. I know you only came to Dalton for me. And you have me now. You know that if you want to go back, we'll still have each other. Maybe we won't see each other every day, but it's not like we live on opposite sides of the country."

"So, you're saying you don't want me to stay at Dalton?" The pale boy looked down to where his hand rested on the shorter boy's chest.

Blaine took the hand and kissed it. "I'm saying I want you to be happy. I love you, and that won't change if you go back to New Directions. The Warblers will miss you, but they'll understand."

Kurt smiled at him. "You know you're an awesome lifemate, don't you?"

"Not nearly as awesome as my lifemate."

Smiling, they kissed each other. After a moment, the gentle, sweet, chaste kisses grew deeper, hungrier, as the lifemate chemistry kicked in. Kurt moaned, pulling back reluctantly. "If we don't stop now, I can't guarantee we won't both be naked and passed out when they come looking for us for breakfast in the morning."

Blaine growled and kissed him again. "Don't really care. I want you, Kurt!"

Oh well, I tried, Kurt thought as the other boy kissed a hot trail down his throat. "Blaine!" He gasped as his lifemate all but ripped open the pajama top he was wearing, and began lapping at his pale pink nipples. Blaine moaned as Kurt's pleasure rebounded on to him. He moved up and whispered something filthy in to the taller boy's ear that had both of them panting and writhing against each other.

Their groins pressed into each other, and they cried out. The friction was glorious, and built quickly as their pleasure echoed repeatedly between them like waves crashing through them again and again, until it was too much, and they both shouted their release before the pleasure pulled them under and they both slipped into unconsciousness.

…

They were the last ones up Sunday morning, and the other four greeted them with knowing smirks. Kurt blushed, but Blaine just smiled sheepishly as they sat down to brunch. That afternoon, they went to the matinee showing of Hairspray, and they all sang along, though not too loudly. They returned to the penthouse that evening, and ordered dinner in. They played board games and watched a couple of movies. Jeff texted them and sent a picture of himself surfing with his cousin.

Finn also texted, telling them that Rachel was mad at him because he'd been hanging out with Puck and Sam all weekend playing CoD and Halo.

As they were getting ready for bed, they got a cryptic message from Nick.

Grandparents making me miserable. New neighbor is creeping me out. Someone come rescue me! -Nick

Blaine frowned as he read the message. He tried calling his friend, but the call went straight to voicemail. He left a message, and sent a text as well. He and Kurt slid into bed, a little worried about their sensitive friend.

…

There was no response from Nick by Monday morning, so Blaine tried calling him again. Once again the call went straight to voicemail. Not being able to do anything more, they left another message for the older boy. They mentioned the strange message to the others when they sat down for breakfast.

"You said his grandparents were homophobic, and he's gay?" Thomas asked. "Do you know where they live? We could see if there are any of our people in the area to check on him."

Blaine shook his head. "I know they live in Virginia somewhere, but not exactly sure where."

"Oh. Well, I'm sure he's physically fine. You'll see him in a few days. We need to hurry up and get ready. We're going to Wonderland today."

They finished eating and started getting ready to go. Just as they were getting ready to leave, Blaine's phone chimed an incoming text. "It's Nick!"

I'm OK. Just wish I was back at Dalton, or with Jeff in Cali. Anywhere but here. -Nick

"Poor guy sounds miserable. We should get something to cheer him up for when we get back." Kurt said, reading the text over Blaine's shoulder.

…

"Oh my god, that was almost as fun as Disneyland!" Blaine proclaimed as they got back to the penthouse that evening. "The only thing missing was the music! I mean the music they played over the loudspeakers was good, but I wanted to sing along with The Little Mermaid and The Lion King!"

The others all laughed at the teen, teasing him about his Disney fixation. Artie was yawning, and they all agreed on an early night.

Blaine lay on their bed, watching a movie while Kurt was in the shower, when Blaine's phone rang. Blaine looked at the screen, with a smile. "Hey, Jeff! What's up?"

His smile faded a little. "Yeah, I know, he texted us last night, and again this morning. I feel sorry for him. I wish there was something we could do to cheer him up. Kurt's cousin Thomas said if we knew where they lived they could send someone to check on him. Do you have their address? Well that sucks. Okay, talk to you later. If he calls you back, send him our love!"

Kurt came out of the bathroom as Blaine hung up. "Who was that?"

"Jeff. Nick called him a little while ago. Jeff said he wouldn't give him any details, but that he was seriously thinking of catching a bus back to Dalton, his grandparents were being so negative towards him. And their creepy new neighbor keeps making passes at him."

"Poor Nick. Does Jeff have their address? We could send someone to pick him up and bring him here."

Blaine shook his head no. "He was forbidden to give their address to anyone who might, and I am quoting here, 'be a fag or have faggy influence over their grandson.' Nice people. Apparently they are also racist, so at least they are all inclusive haters."

"Wonderful," Kurt said sarcastically. "My cousin Vincent's lifemate is a private investigator. I can call her and ask her to try and track him down. We at least know his parent's names, it shouldn't be too hard for her to look them up."

Blaine looked at him with hope in his eyes. "Please?"

Kurt nodded. "Let me go talk to Thomas. I don't have Vincent's number on my phone."

They walked down the hall and knocked on the other immortal's door. When he answered, they explained the situation. Thomas nodded and made the call himself. As they waited for the call to go through, Kurt thought of something. "Oh, um, Nick knows about us."

Kurt blushed as Thomas looked at him sternly. The older immortal studied them both for a moment, and then he relaxed a little and sighed, just as Vincent answered the phone.

…

Tuesday was rather subdued as they waited to hear back from Jackie about Nick. The weather seemed to match their mood, as rain forced them to cancel their morning activities anyway.

It was nearly noon when Thomas' phone rang. "Jackie? Yeah, they're here. What's going on? What do you mean not there? Crap. Are you sure about that? Oh god. Yes, bring him here immediately!"

He hung up the phone and turned to look at the four teens. "Jackie was able to find his grandparents' house, but your friend wasn't there when they arrived."

"Where is he?" Blaine demanded.

Thomas looked a little pale as he spoke. "Christian Notte and his lifemate Caroline where the ones sent to check on him. After confronting his grandparents, they were about to leave when they heard a disturbance from the house next door. Turns out their new neighbor was a rogue. When your friend tried to runaway last night, the rogue took control of him and forced him into the basement where three other young men were being held. Your friend apparently figured out what was happening once he was no longer under the rogue's influence. He tried to escape. Almost succeeded, too. The rogue caught him sneaking out, and fed from him. Thankfully that was when Christian and Caro arrived. He's shaken up, and a little dehydrated, but he's going to be fine. Both he and Jeff are on their way here."

Both boys sighed with relief, and Stephanie was sobbing on Artie's shoulder. "Oh thank goodness!" She sobbed harder. "Jeff wouldn't have survived if anything had happened to Nick! They're lifemates!"

Thomas looked at the girl. "What do you mean, they're lifemates? They're both mortal."

She nodded her head. "I know that, but they are supposed to be lifemates. I can sense it just the same as I can between two immortal lifemates."

Kurt sat beside her. "You're sure? It's not just wishful thinking because Jeff is your cousin and you want him to be immortal like you and Dani?"

Stephanie looked at him. She wasn't upset by his question, she knew they didn't understand. "I bet Aunt Marguerite would sense it too, if she met them."

Kurt and Thomas exchanged a look.


	5. Recoveries and Discoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spring break is winding up. What will happen when Nick and Jeff arrive in Toronto? How will Nick recover from his encounter with the rogue, and is there more to the story? Read on! 
> 
> I'm introducing a few more immortals here. Christian and Caroline (Caro) Notte, and Vincent and Jackie.

The four teens were restless, despite the magnificent penthouse apartment they were sharing. The idea that one of their friends was hurt in anyway effectively ruined any enjoyment they might have had. It was almost two thirty when the helicopter landed on the roof. They rushed out into the foyer and waited for the elevator to descend.

When the doors opened, three people emerged. The taller man had auburn hair, nearly the exact same color as Kurt's, but longer and less styled. The woman who stood next to him had dark blonde hair pulled back in a chignon. Kurt didn't recognize either of them, but knew that they were immortals.

The four teens' focus were all drawn to the boy in the center. Blaine rushed forward, hugging his friend. "Nick! I'm so glad you're okay!"

The taller boy clung to him, crying silently. They lead him and the others into the living room. Thomas greeted the couple. "Christian! Caro! It's good to see you again! Wish it was under better circumstances. How did everything go?"

Kurt glanced over at the new couple. So this was his other cousin, Christian Notte. Another reason to hate Jean Claude Argeneau. Christian was Marguerite's son, but thanks to the cruelty of his uncle and Christian's aunt Vita, Marguerite was forced to forget about the boy and his father, Julius, for nearly five hundred years.

Christian glanced over at him, smiling kindly before responding to Thomas. "Why don't you show Caro and me to our room and I'll tell you everything."

Kurt looked from the adults to his friend. There was something they didn't want to talk about around the teens. Was there something more to what happened to Nick? The boy hadn't let go of Blaine, and wouldn't look at anyone else in the room. He studied what he could see of the boy, looking for signs of injuries. There was the obvious bite mark on his throat that someone had bandaged for him.

It was as Blaine led the other boy to the couch that Kurt saw it. It was very subtle. Nick was limping slightly, and when he sat down, he flinched. Kurt knew what that meant. He glanced at Stephanie, who looked back at him with a look of horror that confirmed what he hoped he was only imagining. "I'll fix something for dinner. Stephanie, can you help me, please?"

The girl nodded, and they went into the kitchen. Kurt turned to her and spoke in a whisper so no one would hear them. "Please tell me I'm wrong."

She shook her head no, wiping a tear from her eye. "It was the first night he was there. The rogue, Xander, broke into the house. He controlled him, made him cooperate, then did a poor job of covering his tracks. And it happened again last night. Afterwards, Nick tried to run away, but Xander saw him and forced him back."

Kurt sank down onto a chair. "I think I am going to be sick."

Stephanie hugged him tightly, rubbing his back. "He'll be okay, Kurt. Jeff will be here in a couple more hours, and everything will be fine. After Jeff gets here, you'll help dull the memory a little more, and he'll be good."

Kurt shuddered, and smiled weakly up at her. "Thanks Stephanie. I'm so happy I met you. You've been a great friend."

She smiled at him. "I like you too, Kurt. I told you, if you weren't gay and we didn't both have lifemates, we'd have perfect babies!" They both laughed at that.

…

Kurt was just finishing making dinner when Jeff arrived with Jackie and Vincent. The blonde boy rushed in looking around frantically. Blaine met him as he entered. "He's sleeping right now, but I was about to wake him up for dinner. Come on, I'll show you to the room. Which by the way is where you'll be staying, too."

"What happened to him, Blaine?" The normally bubbly Warbler was subdued, his eyes red rimmed.

Blaine sighed. Kurt had filled him in on the details he and Stephanie had picked up from the boy. "Aside from the constant verbal abuse from his grandparents, Nick had the misfortune to find himself staying next door to a rogue. The rogue was...attracted to Nick. He...he..."

Blaine couldn't say the words, but the look on his face was enough for Jeff. "Oh my god, Blaine! Is he going to be okay?"

The shorter boy shrugged. "Kurt says your presence will help a lot, and once he's had a little time to rest and eat, Kurt is going to offer to suppress his memories, make it a little easier for him."

Jeff nodded. "Thanks, Blaine. And tell Kurt thanks for getting his friends there in time to save Nick for me."

Blaine hugged the blonde boy and showed him the door to the room where Nick was sleeping. "When you guys are ready, come on out to the Kitchen. Dinner is ready. We'll save some for you both."

…

Back in the kitchen, Kurt was talking with Thomas, Jackie, and Vincent as he finished transferring the stew he had made to a serving tureen, and pulled the loaves of bread he had warmed from the oven.

"I'm glad they found him when they did. I just feel so bad for him."

Jackie took the pan of bread from him and set it aside, pulling him into a hug. "You know none of what happened was your fault, right? You did the right thing, calling us in when you did. You couldn't have known what was happening."

Kurt sighed, hugging her back. "It's just not fair! First Blaine, now Nick! I hate our kind sometimes. Why do they have to hurt other people? Why do they go rogue?"

"Hey, shh! You know that were all human. Mortal or immortal, there are always going to be bad seeds. That's what Lucian and the hunters are here for. We got lucky this time. Xander had only just recently gone rogue. He'd only had a few victims, and each of them are safe and happy and back with their families."

Kurt sighed and pulled away to finish transferring the bread to a platter and setting it on the table, which was already set for dinner. "Could you tell the others that dinner is ready?" He went to the fridge to get the salad.

It was a good thing that the table was so large, with everyone but Nick and Jeff seated. The four teens and six adults sat comfortably, though the atmosphere was a bit pallid. Blaine told them that the other two would be out in a little while, and just to save them some food.

As Kurt dished up the stew and they passed around the bread, butter and salad, Caro asked how their vacation had been so far. They told her about their activities to date.

"We were supposed to take a helicopter tour of Niagara falls this morning," Artie smiled politely. "But between the bad weather and worrying about Nick, that was canceled. We were going to go to another club tonight, but I don't think anyone is in the mood. Tomorrow we're going to visit a few more museums, and then go to that Singing Spot place in the evening. Thursday we're going to do some more sightseeing, and then we have tickets to Wicked for that night. And then Friday is Lady Gaga. Saturday we're supposed to go to Marguerite's house and meet a bunch more of Kurt's family."

They talked more about the upcoming events, and were almost finished eating when Jeff and Nick joined them. They both smiled shyly when they entered. Jackie, Caro, Inez and Stephanie all jumped up to greet them, pulling them to the table and filling their bowls with stew. They all smiled kindly at the boys.

"We were just talking about the itinerary for the rest of the week," Inez said softly. "I talked to Marguerite a little while ago. She's managed to get tickets for both of you for Wicked and Lady Gaga, so you'll be able to join in on the rest of the fun."

Nick smiled a little more than he had since arriving earlier. "Thank you. I appreciate everything you've all done for me." He held Jeff's hand tightly. Kurt could see the fear from the last few days was still there, but he could also see the boy's strength and knew he'd be fine. Kurt began clearing the table while the two boys were still finishing their food. The others excused themselves and headed back into the living room as Kurt and Blaine cleaned up. Well, Blaine cleaned since Kurt cooked. Kurt poured four cups of coffee, and set them down on the table, he then sat beside Nick.

"I'm sorry you went through what you did. Both from your grandparents and from the rogue. If you'll allow me, I can help dull your memories. I won't erase them completely, just make them a little more distant, easier to bare."

Nick considered him for a moment, then nodded. "Just the rogue, though. I want to remember every word my so called grandparents spoke, so I know what I am fighting for when I march for marriage equality and other LGBT rights."

Kurt smiled at the boy, hugging him gently. As he did, He carefully slid into the boy's memories, seeking the ones that troubled the boy, clouding them a little, more like the memory of a bad dream than actual events. He also brushed over the memories of his grandparents, seeing the awful things they said to him. He thought he might have his dad pay the older couple a visit.

When he pulled away, Nick smiled at him, and Kurt could see the burden lifted off his shoulders. "Thank you, Kurt."

Kurt smiled. "That's what friends are for. Why don't you and Jeff finish eating and head off to bed. You both seem really tired."

Jeff finished eating, then hugged both Blaine and Kurt before heading down the hall way with his boyfriend. Kurt watched them go. "Stephanie is right. Those two would definitely be lifemates if they were immortal."

…

The next morning, when they sat down for breakfast, Jeff and Nick decided they'd stay behind at the penthouse while the others went to visit a couple of museums. Jackie and Vincent offered to stay behind as well. They were just finishing clearing the table when the intercom chimed, indicating someone seeking entrance from the lobby. Thomas went to answer it. When he returned a few minutes later, they were all shocked to see Lucian with him.

"Stephanie, Lucian would like to speak to you before we go." They watched the ancient escort the young girl down the hall to her room. No one spoke as they finished cleaning the kitchen and went to get ready for the day. Stephanie reappeared as they gathered in the living room.

Lucian came out a moment later. "Nickolas, Jeffrey, may I have a word with you two, please? I understand you had planned to stay behind today anyway. The rest of you should go ahead with your visit."

Kurt and Blaine looked warily between the two boys and the ancient immortal. There was nothing they could do, so they joined the others in the foyer waiting for the elevator to take them down to the garage.

"What did Lucian want to talk to you about?" Kurt asked Stephanie, as they were walking to the cars. Since there were so many of them, they decided that Stephanie and Artie would ride in the van with Thomas and Inez, while Kurt and Blaine rode with Christian and Caro.

Stephanie looked down at the pavement, shrugging. "He asked me about Nick and Jeff. And he told me that I have to go back to Port Henry at the end of the school year."

"What?" Artie asked, looking at her in shock.

She smiled weakly at him. "Just for the summer. He said that if I want to, I can come back for school in the fall. He said it seemed to be helping with learning to at least mute most of the thoughts bombarding me."

She hugged the baritone. Blaine cleared his throat. "Um, what did he ask about Nick and Jeff?"

She shrugged again. "He wanted to know why I thought they were lifemates."

Kurt and Blaine exchanged a look, curiosity eating at them.

…

They visited an art museum, a camera museum, and an aquarium that day. They all enjoyed themselves, but could not help wondering what was happening with Nick and Jeff. They almost decided to skip going to the Singing Spot, but then decided that Jackie or Vincent would have called them if there was anything important to tell them.

They entered the quirky cafe and were greeted by a petite woman with dark hair, who showed them to a booth, giving Christian a peculiar look. "Are you Christian Notte?"

He smiled at her politely. "I am."

"I saw you play last year in Italy! I love Cugino Notte!" Can I get your autograph?" The four teens looked at each other in confusion. Once the hostess had left with her autograph, they all turned to the auburn haired man.

Kurt looked at this cousin he hadn't known existed until just a couple years ago. "So, are you famous or something?"

Christian laughed, and Caro smiled at him. "Christian and his cousins are in a rock band."

"Really? Do you sing?" Artie asked.

"A little, but mostly I play violin."

They all stared at him blankly. "You play violin? In a rock band?" Blaine asked.

Christian laughed again. "Yes, much to my father's chagrin. I was classically trained for almost a century, even composed some classical pieces. But lost interest after a while. Then when I heard rock music for the first time, it reawakened my interest in music. The rest as they say, is history."

"Will you play for us while you are here?" Stephanie asked. The older immortal shrugged.

"My instrument is in the car. Perhaps if the mood strikes me tonight I will bring it in and play."

They ordered dinner, and talked about if they were going to sing, and if so, what. Stephanie and Artie decided to sing a duet. When it was their turn, they approached the live band and told them what song they wanted to do. Artie lead off with the first verse.

Looking in your eyes I see a paradise  
This world that I've found is too good to be true  
Standing here beside you want so much to give you  
This love in my heart that I'm feeling for you

Stephanie smiled at him, holding his hand as she sang back.

Let 'em say we're crazy, I don't care about that  
Put your hand in my hand baby, don't ever look back  
Let the world around us just fall apart  
Baby we can make it if we're heart to heart

Their voices blended perfectly on the chorus.

And we can build this thing together  
Standing strong forever, nothing's gonna stop us now  
And if this world runs out of lovers, we'll still have each other  
Nothing's gonna stop us, nothing's gonna stop us now, oh no

I'm so glad I found you, I'm not gonna lose you  
Whatever it takes to stay here with you  
Take it to the good times, see it through the bad times  
Whatever it takes is what I'm gonna do

Let 'em say we're crazy, what do they know?  
Put your arms around me baby, don't ever let go  
Let the world around us just fall apart  
Baby we can make it if we're heart to heart

And we can build this thing together  
Standing strong forever, nothing's gonna stop us now  
And if this world runs out of lovers, we'll still have each other  
Nothing's gonna stop us, nothing's gonna stop us

Ooh, all that I need is you, all that I ever need  
All that I want to do is hold you forever, ever and ever

And we can build this thing together  
Standing strong forever, nothing's gonna stop us now  
And if this world runs out of lovers, we'll still have each other  
Nothing's gonna stop us, nothing's gonna stop us now

And we can build this thing together  
Standing strong forever, nothing's gonna stop us now  
And if this world runs out of lovers  
Nothing's gonna stop us now

Hey baby, I know, hey baby, nothing's gonna stop us  
Hey baby, woo hoo, nothing, hey baby  
Nothing's gonna stop us now yeah

The crowd loved it, applauding enthusiastically for the duo. Blaine and Kurt tried to decide on a song, when Thomas leaned over and whispered in Kurt's ear. The pale boy grinned. "Perfect! It's one of my favorite songs you wrote!"

Blaine looked confused, but followed when Kurt pulled him towards the stage. The taller boy whispered something to the band. The music began, and Blaine laughed, whispering to Kurt. "Your cousin wrote this song?"

Kurt nodded, and smiled as he began to sing.

Don't go breaking my heart  
I couldn't if I tried  
Honey if I get restless  
Baby you're not that kind

Don't go breaking my heart  
You take the weight off me  
Honey when you knock on my door  
I gave you my key

Nobody knows it  
When I was down  
I was your clown  
Nobody knows it  
Right from the start  
I gave you my heart  
I gave you my heart

So don't go breaking my heart  
I won't go breaking your heart  
Don't go breaking my heart

And nobody told us  
`Cause nobody showed us  
And now it's up to us babe  
I think we can make it

So don't misunderstand me  
You put the light in my life  
You put the sparks to the flame  
I've got your heart in my sights

Don't go breaking my heart

Don't go breaking my

Don't go breaking my

Don't go Breaking my heart

Don't go breaking my

Don't go breaking my

Don't go Breaking my heart

Once more, the crowd was impressed and showed their appreciation. They sang a couple more songs each. As the end of the evening approached, Thomas begged Kurt to sing one more song for him.

Kurt looked at him with a calculated smile. "I'll make you a deal. I'll sing one more song, but you have to sing, and Christian has to play violin."

The two older immortals looked at each other, and then agreed. "Fine, but I get to pick your song for you."

Kurt rolled his eyes, and agreed, already knowing what song Thomas would pick.

Something has changed within me  
Something is not the same  
I'm through with playing by the rules  
Of someone else's game

Too late for second guessing  
Too late to go back to sleep  
It's time to trust my instincts  
Close my eyes and leap!

It's time to try defying gravity  
I think I'll try defying gravity  
Kiss me goodbye, I'm defying gravity  
And you won't bring me down!

I'm through accepting limits  
'cause someone says they're so

Some things I cannot change  
But till I try, I'll never know!

Too long I've been afraid of  
Losing love I guess I've lost  
Well, if that's love  
It comes at much too high a cost

I'd sooner buy defying gravity  
Kiss me goodbye I'm defying gravity  
I think I'll try defying gravity  
And you won't bring me down

I'd sooner buy defying gravity  
Kiss me goodbye I'm defying gravity  
I think I'll try defying gravity  
And you won't bring me down  
Bring me down

Ohhhhhh, ohhhhhh

After another round of enthusiastic applause, Christian retrieved his violin as Thomas gave instructions to the band. The crowd grew silent as the two men took the stage. Christian pulled the bow across the strings, and a thrill went through the crowd.

As he came into the window  
It was the sound of a crescendo  
He came into her apartment  
He left the bloodstains on the carpet  
She ran underneath the table  
He could see she was unable  
So she ran into the bedroom  
She was struck down, it was her doom

Annie, are you OK?  
So, Annie, are you OK?  
Are you OK, Annie?  
Annie, are you OK?  
So, Annie, are you OK?  
Are you OK, Annie?  
Annie, are you OK?  
So, Annie, are you OK?  
Are you OK, Annie?  
Annie, are you OK?  
So, Annie, are you OK,?  
Are you OK, Annie?

(Annie, are you OK?)  
(will you tell us that you're OK)  
(there's a sign in the window)  
(that he struck you a crescendo Annie)  
(he came into your apartment)  
(he left the bloodstains on the carpet)  
(then you ran into the bedroom)  
(you were struck down)  
(it was your doom)

Annie, are you OK?  
So, Annie, are you OK?  
Are you OK Annie?  
Annie, are you OK?  
So, Annie, are you OK?  
Are you OK Annie?  
Annie, are you OK?  
So, Annie, are you OK?  
Are you OK Annie?  
You've been hit by  
You've been hit by  
A smooth criminal

So they came into the outway  
It was Sunday, what a black day  
Mouth to mouth resuscitation  
Sounding heartbeats intimidations

Annie, are you OK?  
So, Annie, are you OK?  
Are you OK Annie?  
Annie, are you OK?  
So, Annie, are you OK?  
Are you OK Annie?  
Annie, are you OK?  
So, Annie, are you OK?  
Are you OK Annie?  
Annie, are you OK?  
So, Annie, are you OK?  
Are you OK Annie?

(Annie, are you OK?)  
(will you tell us that you're OK)  
(there's a sign in the window)  
(that he struck you a crescendo Annie)  
(he came into your apartment)  
(he left the bloodstains on the carpet)  
(then you ran into the bedroom)  
(you were struck down)  
(it was your doom)

(Annie, are you OK?)  
(so, Annie, are you OK?)  
(are you OK Annie?)  
(you've been hit by)  
(you've been struck by  
A smooth criminal)

Aaow!  
(Annie, are you OK?)  
I don't know!  
(will you tell us, that you're OK)  
I don't know!  
(there's a sign in the window)  
I don't know!  
(that he struck you a crescendo Annie)  
I don't know!  
(he came into your apartment)  
I don't know!  
(left bloodstains on the carpet)  
I don't know why baby!  
(then you ran into the bedroom)  
I don't know!  
(you were struck down)  
(it was your doom, Annie!)

(Annie, are you OK?)  
Dang gone it, baby!  
(will you tell us, that you're OK)  
Dang gone it, baby!  
(there's a sign in the window)  
Dang gone it, baby!  
(that he struck you a crescendo Annie)  
Hoo! hoo!  
(he came into your apartment)  
Dang gone it!  
(left bloodstains on the carpet)  
Hoo! hoo! hoo!  
(then you ran into the bedroom)  
Dang gone it!  
(you were struck down)  
(it was your doom, Annie!)

Aaow!

The crowd was awed by the skill with witch Christian played, and Thomas' voice was perfect for the song. They received the biggest round of applause all night.

"Oh my god, you two are amazing!" Blaine gushed.

"That was incredible!" Artie said, giving Christian a knuckle bump.

As they got ready to leave, several of the other customers stopped them and told them how much they enjoyed their performances.

...

They returned to the penthouse rather late that evening, and both Kurt and Blaine felt a little guilty for forgetting about Nick and Jeff for most of the night. They went to check on the boys, only to stop in their tracks at the sight.

Lucian was sitting in a chair one the far side of the room, while both boys were chained to the bed, IV's inserted in their arms.

Kurt looked from his friends on the bed, to the ancient immortal. "Lucian, what have you done?"


	6. Gaga, and Snoops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally! Lady Gaga! And someone else discovers the immortals' secret! Who is it? Can they be trusted?
> 
> For those familiar with the Argeneau series, you'll know that what Lucian does in this chapter is OOC, but he is the head of the North American council, and no one tells Lucien no, so I figured why not.

"It was so amazing, 'Cedes!" Kurt gushed Sunday afternoon as they waited for their pizza to be delivered. "I wish you had been there!"

"Oh my god, Kurt! I'm so happy for you! Yeah, I wish I could have been there too! Tell me all about it, you really got to go on stage and sing with Lady Gaga?"

…

Thursday morning

Kurt helped Lucian change the blood bags on the two boys who were still unconscious on the bed. "I can't believe you turned them both!"

The ancient immortal simply shrugged his shoulders. "I was merely correcting a mistake."

Kurt looked up at him, confused. "I don't understand?"

Lucian looked him in the eye. "It happens about once a millennia. Mortals are born lifemates. The last time it happened I wasn't in a position to do anything about it. This time I could and did. I spoke with both boys, judged their characters, saw that both of them held the qualities that our people try to exhibit. I gave them a choice. They count as each others one turn."

Kurt nodded. He was happy for the boys, but he was also concerned. "What if it turns out they aren't lifemates?"

Lucian looked down at the two unconscious boys. "I have faith in Stephanie. She says they are lifemates, so they are."

Kurt busied himself straightening up the room, disposing of the empty blood bags and putting the boys' dirty clothes in the laundry hamper. Lucian watched him for a few minutes. "Tell me, Kurt, do you have faith in anything?"

The pale boy looked at him."What do you mean?"

Lucian indicated for him to sit in one of the chairs in the small sitting area across the room. He sat across from him. "I know you don't believe in God. But do you believe in anything unseen?"

Kurt thought about it for a few minutes, considering his answer carefully. "I guess I believe in something, I just don't know what to call it. Maybe it is God, maybe it's not. I want to think that whatever is out there is kinder than the Christian God, who apparently doesn't want to take credit for making me the way I am. What about you, what do you believe in?"

Lucian gave the question as much thought as the boy had. "For the longest time, after I lost my first wife and daughters in the fall, I didn't believe in anything. But when you live as long as I have, you see things that make you wonder. As you said, it may or may not be God, but I believe there is something out there that guides us and tries to help us when we need it. And I believe they knew exactly what they were doing when they made you the way you are. Tempered steel is always the strongest."

Kurt smiled at that. Lucian gave him a rare smile in return before he continued. "Have faith, Kurt. Things will turn out for the best in the end. Now, I have another question for you. Who is Mercedes, and do you trust her with your secret?"

Kurt swallowed hard, and sighed. "She's my best friend. I trust her."

"And what of your other friends? Do you trust them?"

Kurt considered carefully. "I'm starting to trust them. I hate hiding the real me from them. I hate lying to them."

Lucian studied him again. "I am going to say this once, and only once. I forbid you to tell them the truth. If you tell them, I will have to remove their memories, and you and your father will be forced to leave Ohio. Do you understand what I am saying?"

At first Kurt was angry, but then he considered Lucian's words, and realized what the ancient immortal was trying to say to him. He smiled. He was forbidden to tell anyone, but that didn't mean he couldn't show them. Lucian nodded, seeing that the boy understood. Kurt stood and hugged the much older male.

"Thank you, Uncle Lucian. I promise, I won't tell a single person!"

A sound from the bed drew their attention. Nick slowly sat up. "Did anyone get the license plate number of the Mack truck that ran me over?"

Kurt moved over to stand beside the bed, smiling down at the boy. "You're awake! How are you feeling?"

"Like I have the worst hang over ever. Can I get some water?"

Kurt nodded and poured him a glass of water, and retrieved a fresh bag of blood as well. He waited for the boy to finish the water, and then offered him the bag of blood. "You'll probably feel better after you drink this."

The sight of the blood was enough to bring the other boy's fangs out. Kurt showed him how to pop the bag onto his teeth. As Nick finished the bag, Jeff started to stir as well. He went through the same routine with the blonde Warbler, and soon they had consumed four bags of blood each, while Kurt had helped himself to two.

When they finished, Kurt and Lucian left the two boys to shower and dress, Kurt remembering at the last moment to remind the two to avoid any fooling around in the shower, "Just in case."

Thirty minutes later the two boys came into the kitchen, where Kurt was making an omelet, and Lucian was drinking coffee at the table while reading a book.

"Where is everyone else?" Jeff asked, pouring coffee for Nick and himself.

"They left a couple hours ago to go sight seeing. They'll be back this afternoon." Kurt said, splitting the omelet on to two plates and setting it before them, and taking a plate of bacon he'd reheated out of the microwave. He then set out some warm bread, butter and honey.

Lucian closed his book and refilled his coffee cup. "You two will spend the day getting an accelerated course in being immortal from Kurt and myself."

Kurt nodded, refilling his own coffee cup. "You've read the books, so I assume I don't have to go over the Laws with you. I'm certain Uncle Lucian covered that with you before he turned you, as well."

They both nodded around mouths full of food. "Good. We'll start with learning to control your fangs after breakfast. At lunch time I'll order food in, and we'll have you practice reading and controlling minds on the delivery person."

…

By the time the others returned that afternoon, both boys had mastered controlling their fangs, and had each successfully read and controlled the delivery man. They were working on blocking unwanted thoughts while making dinner. Lucian left as soon as the the others returned.

"So," Stephanie hedged. "Have you tried reading each other?"

They smiled at her. Jeff took her hand. "First thing when we were alone this morning."

"Nothing but blank wall. We've tried several times since then, as well" Nick said, kissing her cheek.

The others all came to help finish making dinner and set the table. Jackie and Vincent were the last to enter, glancing at the two boys, and then at Kurt.

"You're not mad at us for not calling you and telling you what was going on, are you?" Jackie asked.

Kurt just smiled at her. "I'm not mad. Lucian said you two had no idea what was happening until after he'd already chained them to the bed and began the turning." He handed Vincent a platter of grilled chicken. "Besides, now I'll have more immortals my age near me that I can hang out with and not have to hide who I really am."

They sat down to eat, and the talk quickly turned to the play they were going to see that night. Everyone there was a fan of Wicked, and knew all the songs by heart.

"Vincent auditioned for the part of Fiyero in Los Angeles," Jackie told them. "He was really good, too, but the other guy just edged him out on the dancing."

Vincent smiled. "It's okay. It worked out for the best, anyway. I ended up rewriting Dracula the Musical, and recast it. It turned out to be one of my biggest hits."

Nick smiled. "I loved that play. I hope you won't get mad at me when I say I paid twenty five dollars for a black market recording of the final performance."

Vincent laughed. "You mean the 'unofficial official' recording I leaked?"

They all laughed. They finished dinner quickly, and then all went to their rooms to get ready. The older men all wore designer suits. Artie wore brown dress pants with a blue shirt, brown vest, and a blue and tan stripped bow tie. Nick and Jeff each wore black slacks and black vests. Nick had a blue button up shirt on, while Jeff's shirt was emerald green. Blaine wore black skinny jeans and a red button up shirt, with suspenders and a black bow tie with red polka dots. Kurt wore plum colored skinny jeans, a black button up, and his clockwork bow tie pendant.

The women were a rainbow of elegance, each of them wearing a perfectly fitted evening dress; Inez wore red, Jackie peach, Caro lavender, and Stephanie blue.

They arrived at the theater in limos, and the teens all felt like they were arriving at a Hollywood premier. They took their seats, and felt the hush of excitement as the curtain rose.

…

On the ride home, they sang the soundtrack from Wicked, laughing and relaxed. Nick didn't even think about his encounter with the rogue, or his verbally abusive grandparents. When they got back to the penthouse, they got another pleasant surprise. Harper had sent them an assortment of mini desserts to enjoy. They chose from three different cheesecakes, a chocolate torte, a chocolate mousse cake, a few different varieties of pie, and chocolate covered strawberries.

The immortals also each had a couple bags of blood (except Vincent, who couldn't survive on bagged blood, and had quietly slipped away for a few minutes earlier during the intermission). Artie, the only mortal among them, tried not to stare as they fed. For the most part, they had not fed around him, each partaking discreetly in their own rooms. Stephanie finished her own bag of blood and looked at her lifemate.

"Does it bother you to see us feeding? We would have gone into another room if you asked."

The four eyed baritone just smiled at her. "No, it's okay. I was curios about how it worked anyway. So, um, there isn't any way for them to reprogram your nanos to produce fangs?"

Vincent answered for her. "Bastien and many scientists at Argeneau, Inc. are working on it. The problem is none of them have been able to reproduce the nanos the original Atlantian scientists created, and none of them survived the fall. There is no one to tell them what they are doing wrong."

Nick was surprised by this news. "None of the original scientists survived? Didn't they take the nanos themselves?"

Thomas shook his head. "No, once they realized the side effects, they wanted nothing to do with the nanos. They used them on the most severely injured and the most seriously ill patients, but only as a last resort."

"So how many did survive the fall?" Blaine asked.

"According to Uncle Lucian, just over a hundred." Kurt answered. "But many of those died within the first year due to lack of access to blood transfusions. It took a while for the nanos to adapt their hosts into the predators they needed to be to survive."

They finished their desserts in silence, and made their ways to their respective bedrooms. After getting ready for bed, Kurt and Blaine snuggled together, resisting the urge to indulge in the shared pleasure of lifemates. Or at least they tried to resist until they heard Nick and Jeff down the hall. They grinned at each other.

"Yup, they're definitely lifemates," Blaine said, cheerfully, and then gave in to the temptation of Kurt's perfect lips.

…

"Get up you lazy heads!" Stephanie called out, too cheerfully the next morning. "We've got a big day ahead of us! And Aunt Marguerite sent us some presents!"

Kurt smiled groggily at the curly haired boy in front of him. "Good morning."

Blaine grinned back. "Morning."

They showered together, which was a test of their will power. They finished getting ready and lazily made their way to the kitchen, where Inez and Caro had made breakfast. There were several packages on the table. Blaine studied them with a grin. "Your aunt does realize it's not Christmas, doesn't she?"

Kurt laughed and looked over the six packages. They weren't gift wrapped, just six plain white gift boxes, each with an envelope attached with their names on them. Thomas laughed. "Well, go on, open them."

Kurt reached for the one addressed to him. The others watched expectantly. He opened the envelope first. It was a VIP pass for the concert, with all access. Kurt would deny squealing like a girl for the next five centuries. There was also a spa certificate, with an appointment reminder for eleven AM that morning. "What's in the box?" Inez asked.

Kurt opened the box and found a new vest and an antique faux ivory broach. The others quickly opened their gifts. They each had VIP passes and spa certificates. Blaine received a dark purple button up and lavender bow tie. Artie received a black vest and teal blue button up. Nick and Jeff each received a vest and button up as well. Jeff's vest was a dark green with a pale green shirt. Nick's was red over pale pink. Stephanie got a plaid skirt and red scope neck blouse, as well as earrings, a lace choker, and a fake lip ring.

They ate breakfast quickly, and got ready to head to the spa. Kurt called his dad before they left. He'd called every night except Wednesday, and he had a feeling he'd be too excited to call that night, so wanted to talk to his dad before things got hectic.

Burt was glad his son sounded so happy. He knew Kurt had a rough life there in Lima. It was good that he had so many friends to share his life with now. He told Kurt to have fun at the concert.

The trip to the spa was exciting. Artie had an acupuncture treatment that helped relax the muscles in his neck and upper back and arms. He'd never realized how much stress his upper body was in not being able to move the lower portion of his body. He claimed he had never felt so good before. They all had a massage, manicure, pedicure, and facials.

After spending a few hours getting pampered, they had a light lunch in the spa restaurant, and headed back to the penthouse to get ready for the concert. When they left at five for the venue, they had no idea that fate had a surprise for them as well.

…

They were escorted backstage as soon as they arrived, and were greeted by a petite red haired woman who introduced herself as Maggie. "So, which one of you is Kurt? I'm guessing the pale boy with auburn hair."

Looking confused, Kurt acknowledged her. "Well, Kurt, your Aunt Marguerite asked me to make certain you and your friends got the full backstage tour, and to make certain you were all well taken care of."

"Wow, thanks. Do you know my aunt well?" Kurt asked.

Maggie laughed. "Not really, but I do know Bastian Argeneau, and when the mother of one of the wealthiest men in the world ask you for a favor, it's always good manners to oblige."

"You know Bastian?"

The woman nodded her head. "He helped us out with some technical issues we were having in New York a few years ago. His wife Terri is a big fan, apparently. We've had the honor of bumping into him and a few other members of the Argeneau family a few times over the last couple of years. When he found out the tour was coming to Toronto this year, he offered us any assistance we needed."

They were all excited as they were shown around the backstage area, and were even allowed on the stage itself. As they were exploring the stage set up, a pretty blonde woman approached them. She wasn't wearing any make up, and was wearing ordinary street clothes, and at first none of them recognized her, until she smiled.

"Hi, you must be Kurt Hummel and his friends. It's so nice to meet you, Please, call me Gaga."

Kurt was stunned, his idol was standing right there in front of him, and she knew his name. He was speechless as he shook her hand. She turned to the others. "let's see, you must be Blaine, Kurt's boyfriend. And of course this is Stephanie, my name sake, even though your parents misspelled it," they both giggled at that. "And Artie. That must mean you two are Nick and Jeff."

She shook hands with each of them as she spoke. "Listen, I know you guys came here to see the concert, but I have a huge favor to ask you all. I hear you all are pretty good singers and dancers..."

…

Two hours later, Kurt thought he was going to pass out. And then he thought he was dead and this was some kind of after life. And then he thought that this was just a dream and he was going to wake up any second and be disappointed. And then he thought he might throw up.

Blaine moved up behind him and massaged his shoulders. "Relax. You've sung before an audience before."

"Not in front of one this large before. And never with my idol singing beside me. What if I screw up? What if I forget the words? What if she hates my voice? Oh god, I can't do this!"

Blaine chuckled and kissed him softly on the cheek. "You are going to be perfect, because you don't know how to be anything less. You won't forget the words. It's your second favorite song ever. And she already likes you as a person. You've got this, Babe."

The backstage lights flashed off and on, signaling for everyone to take their places. Kurt moved to his mark, thanking what ever being was out there that he didn't trip. Music began to play, and the curtain went up. Kurt took a deep breath, and began to sing.

It doesn't matter if you love him,

or capital H-I-M (M-M-M-M)  
Just put your paws up,

'Cause you were born this way baby

He stepped back as the woman he admired more than any other, with the possible exception of his Aunt Marguerite and his stepmother Carole, took the stage. Blaine, Stephanie and the others joined a couple of the regular backup dancers behind Lady Gaga, singing back up and parading around the stage.

When the song ended, the crowd roared in approval. "Thank you all my little monsters! As some of you may have noticed, I have some very special people up here on stage with me. A few of my regular backup dancers and singers unfortunately came down with a stomach virus earlier today, so some friends of mine graciously agreed to fill in for the evening. Please, allow me to introduce them. Kurt, come up here, sweetheart, please! Everyone, this is Kurt Hummel, Blaine Anderson, Stephanie McGill, Artie Abrams, Nick Duval and Jeff Sterling! Give them all a warm welcome!"

They all beamed happily and waved to the crowd, taking a quick bow. The music started for the next song, and they resumed their positions. It was the most amazing night of their lives.

…

"That's incredible, White boy! I'm so jealous!"

"Thanks Mercedes! But I still haven't told you the best news of all!" Kurt said, as they sat on his bed, splitting a pizza. "I'm transferring back to McKinley in a couple of weeks!"

"Shut up! Really? That's great Kurt! But what about the bullying?" She asked, concerned for her friend.

"Karofsky was the ringleader, basically. He's been seeing a therapist. I'm going to talk to him this week, along with my dad and Stephanie. I'm certain that between the three of us, we can convince him to stop, and get him to convince the others to lay off too."

Mercedes smiled at him. "So, you still won't tell me what the deal with Karofsky is?"

"Sorry, Boo. Not my secret to tell." Kurt looked back down at the pizza box between them. "Speaking of secrets, Lucian basically told me that if anyone else I trust finds out about me, Its okay, as long as I don't tell them out right."

"So, if New Directions were to find out by accident, they'd be allowed to remember?" The dark skinned diva asked, smiling.

Kurt grinned back at her. "Well, I don't know about Rachel, but the others, yes. Same goes for the Warblers, since Blaine, Nick and Jeff will still be there."

"I can't believe your uncle turned those two boys. I mean, I'm not jealous or anything, but..."

Kurt smiled and hugged her. "I know, Mercedes. It makes me sad to think that some day I'll have to say good bye to you."

"I'm not sure I could do it. Live for ever, that is. Watching everyone else grow old and die."

Kurt sighed. "I know the older immortals tend to cut themselves off from the outside world after so many centuries so that they don't have to go through that. I don't want to cut myself off from the world, though."

She hugged him tighter. "I'm sorry, I ruined your good mood. Promise me something. No matter what happens in the future, no matter how long you live and how many friends you lose along the way, promise me you'll always see the good in the world."

He smiled. "I promise. And besides, a hundred years from now, I'll be telling your great grand-kids what an amazing woman they are descended from."

They laughed and hugged each other again. A knock sounded on the door. His dad stuck his head around the frame. "Hey, kiddo, it's time to head out if you want to get back to Dalton before curfew. Hello Mercedes. It's nice to see you again!"

"Hey, Mr. Hummel. It's good to see you too." They quickly cleaned up their pizza crusts and drink cups as Burt headed back down stairs. "So why are you going back to Dalton at all if you are going to transfer back to McKinley?"

"I still have to work with Blaine, Nick and Jeff a little on shielding themselves from unwanted thoughts, and with making sure they can erase someone's thoughts if they do get discovered, and get their deliveries from Argeneau Blood Bank set up."

"That's another reason I don't think I could be one of your kind. The idea of having to drink blood to survive just kind of makes me want to throw up. Sorry."

Kurt just laughed. "We don't have to taste the blood if we don't want to. Our fangs draw it up into our body. The only time we taste the blood is when we have specialty blood drinks."

"Eww! You mean like blood cocktails?"

He nodded. "There are some mixed blood drinks, but I'm talking about certain blood types. The blood of diabetics is considered a real treat for our kind, and there are some others as well."

She looked at him curiously. "You can tell the blood of diabetics from others?"

"Yeah. We call it a Sweet Tooth. And it's a rare treat, made even rarer by the fact that whenever they collect the blood from someone who doesn't know they are diabetic, they plant it in their minds to get checked out by a doctor."

"So what other kinds of blood are there?"

Before Kurt could answer, Burt cut him off. "You'll have to continue this conversation another time, I'm afraid. We really do need to get going now."

She smiled at the elder Hummel, and hugged both of them once more. "See you later!"

…

"David, slow down! You're not used to walking on those crutches yet!" Wes admonished him. The darker skinned boy rolled his eyes. He'd been miserable all spring break. His dad hadn't let him do anything the entire week but lay in bed and watch videos and read. He had been about to go stir crazy.

"I swear, Wes, if one more person tells me to slow down or take it easy, I'm going to trip them with these damn crutches!"

"Fine, at least tell me where you are going? Our dorm is in the opposite direction."

"I'm heading to Kurt's room. I want to hear about how the concert was, and what else they did on their trip."

"I don't think Kurt is back yet."

David stopped outside the younger boy's dorm and knocked. There was no response. "Damn it. And now my foot is killing me. Maybe we could just go in and sit down and wait for him?"

He tried the door and found it unlocked. Wes sighed, thinking this was a bad idea, but followed the other boy inside. They sat on the couch for a few minutes in an awkward silence. They both began to fidget. And then David grinned, eyeing the closet door. "I wonder just how many scarves Kurt has here?"

He struggled to his feet and hobbled over to the door. Wes panicked. "What are you doing?"

"Snooping. I'm bored. Come on, Wes, don't you want to see the infamous Kurt Hummel Scarf collection?"

"Not particularly, and you shouldn't go snooping in other people's things!"

David didn't heed him, slipping unsteadily into the walk in closet. He browsed through the pale boy's collection of casual outfits, pulling a pair of skinny jeans off the hanger, wondering how the boy could even get the damn things on. He tried to hang it back up, but lost his balance.

"AAAH!" Wes jumped to his feet when he heard his friend cry out and a loud crash. He raced to the other boy's aide, helping him to his feet and picking up the crutches. At first they were both preoccupied making certain the injured boy was okay to notice the wall panel.

"Are you okay?" Wes demanded.

"I'm fine, just bruised my pri...What the heck?"

They both turned to look at the false wall panel, then exchanged a look.

"We should go." Wes said. David nodded, but neither of them moved to leave. David was considering some of the reading material he'd had over spring break, and started putting two and two together. It couldn't be real, could it?

After a moments more hesitation, he moved forward and pushed the wall panel out of the way, exposing the mini fridge. He swallowed, unsure he wanted to know what was hidden inside. He was reaching out for the handle, but froze when he heard the outer door open, and Kurt calling out.


	7. Coming Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, will David and Wes finally come out of the closet? How will Kurt and the others respond? And who else finds out the truth? Inquiring minds want to know!

Kurt's preternatural hearing picked up all kinds of sounds from all corners of Dalton Academy as he entered the building. Mostly what he heard was the sounds of boys greeting friends as they trickled back from their vacations. Somewhere in the building someone had snuck in their girlfriend, and they were making out. Someone was asleep already, snoring softly. The night monitor, Mr. Lowell, was locked in the office with Miss Harrington, the live in nurse, playing doctor.

He couldn't hear Blaine anywhere. He hadn't seen his lifemate since they had dropped him off at his mother's house the night before. They had talked on the phone before going to bed, and had been texting most of the day.

He was on the bottom step of the stairwell when he heard someone crashing into something. He heard them cry out in surprise, and Wes' voice asking if they were okay. He really didn't pay much attention to it. He just wanted to get back to his dorm, drop off his luggage, and find Blaine.

He reached his room, and had just opened his door when he spotted the curly haired Warbler coming up the stairs from the back entrance. "Blaine! Did you just get back too?"

His lifemate smiled and walked up to him, hugging him tight. "I actually got here a couple hours ago. I was just out helping Thad wash egg off his car. He broke up with Tiff yesterday, and her brothers didn't take the news very well."

"Oh my Gaga, why did he break up with her?"

"Well, apparently he ran into his old girlfriend over break, and the two of them decided they wanted to try dating again."

"Ouch." Kurt glanced up and down the hallway before smirking at the shorter boy. He ran a hand over the darker boy's shoulder. "Wanna come in and talk dirty to me?"

Blaine smirked as they slipped into the room. They were both too preoccupied to notice anything amiss in the room.

…

Wes and David stood frozen as they heard the two boys enter the main room and close the door. There was the sound of someone sighing, a soft giggle, and a moan. Someone murmured something, but they couldn't hear exactly what. David leaned heavily on his crutches, eyes wide as he stared at his best friend. "They aren't...?"

A gasping cry interrupted him. Wes looked like he was going to hyperventilate. Neither boy really wanted to hear the two boys making out, or worse, actually engaging in sex. But they didn't know what to do. The situation was awkward to say the least.

And to make matters worse, David's pain meds were wearing off quickly now, and he was finding it hard not to wince every time he shifted his weight. He tried to shuffle backward to sit on the shelf that held Kurt's neatly folded shirts. Unfortunately he forgot about the fake wall panel that was still hanging loosely. He bumped into it, making a loud thump.

"What was that?" Kurt's voice came clearly this time.

…

Kurt sat up quickly, certain he'd heard something, but not sure what. "What was that?" He asked, pulling his shirt back on.

Blaine had to take a couple deep breaths to squelch the fire that had been burning through him just seconds before, and to clear the haze of desire that had fogged his mind. He sat up a little slower, also pulling his shirt back on as both boys finally glanced around the room.

Kurt was the first to notice the closet door, which wasn't fully latched. It was possible that in his hurry to leave the other week that he hadn't closed the door all the way, but he was certain he had heard the click of the latch catching the last time he closed it. It was also possible Teddy had entered his room earlier for one reason or another. He stood and silently walked over. He snatched the door open, not sure what he expected to find. He just stood there for a moment, staring at the two boys.

"Well, I always suspected you two were in the closet, but this is ridiculous." He glanced from them to the broken wall panel, and the exposed mini fridge. He sighed and moved forward, opening the small appliance and retrieving four bags of blood, noting that there were only four left. Turning around, he walked back out, looking at the two boys. "Are you two boys planning on coming out anytime soon?"

He walked back to the bed, handing Blaine two of the bags. The other boys followed him slowly. Kurt ignored them as he slapped the first bag to his fangs. Blaine followed suit.

Wes just stood there with his jaw on the floor, but David seemed less surprised. He'd been so bored the last nine days, he'd been desperate for something to read. He'd heard Nick, Jeff, and Blaine talking about the Luc Amerault books, and had downloaded the first one to his ereader. He'd felt silly reading paranormal romance, but the story was pretty funny, and had a unique twist on the vampire mythology. Scientifically produced immortals. He'd ended up reading all the books in the first six days of vacation, and had preordered the next one, which was due out the first week of May.

He freely admitted he'd been slow on the uptake. He knew the characters in the books had familiar sounding names, but he didn't connect the dots until he had seen the mini fridge hidden in Kurt's closet.

As he watched Kurt and Blaine finish their first bags, he cleared his throat. "So, is this where you erase our memories and send us on our way?"

Kurt considered him, and the handsome Asian beside him. "I assume you read the books?"

David nodded. Wes looked confused. "What books?"

Kurt muttered something under his breath that the other boys couldn't have heard, but made Blaine giggle. Kurt glared at him. "It's your fault for bringing those damn books here in the first place! And my damn cousin for writing them!"

David looked confused. "Your cousin?"

"Yeah, Luc friggin Amerault. AKA Lucern Argeneau. He just couldn't stick to writing other people's histories, and had to start writing our family's history and pawn it off as paranormal romance!"

A knock sounded on the door, and Nick called out. "Kurt, is everything okay?"

The pale boy rolled his eyes and went to open the door, seeing Jeff standing behind the darker boy. "Come on in. Don't stand on ceremony."

As the two boys entered and closed the door behind them, Kurt went to retrieve the last few bags of blood. He handed them to the new comers, and then went to pick up his cell phone to send off a quick text to request more to be delivered ASAP. Teddy was supposed to stop by first thing tomorrow morning and install a mini fridge and hidden panel in Nick and Jeff's dorm. That reminded him of the broken panel in his own closet, and he sent a second text to the gray eyed sheriff.

Meanwhile, David looked at the two boys who had just entered the room. "Wait, I figured Kurt, and maybe Blaine, but you two as well?"

Kurt spoke distractedly as he sent the texts. "I was born immortal. Blaine is my lifemate, and I turned him after a rogue nearly killed him earlier this semester. Nick was attacked by a rogue over spring break. He wasn't seriously injured, but my Uncle Lucian turned both him and Jeff since they were born mortal lifemates to each other."

Wes gasped and looked at Nick, and then Blaine. "You were attacked? When?"

Blaine had just finished his second bag of blood, and sighed. "Do you remember those few days back around Valentine's day when I was supposedly out with strep?" The other two boys nodded. "The truth is I'd been out with Kurt, Stephanie and Artie at the mall when I was taken by a rogue named Jeremiah. George and Kris had also been taken by him, but don't say anything about it in front of them. They don't remember, and it's better that way.

Anyway, The rogue held me captive for several days, feeding on me several times, making me weak. I almost died. Probably would have too, if Kurt hadn't managed to escape with me and turn me."

David looked awed. "Wow, that's so romantic!"

"It was not romantic," Kurt replied. "I was scared to death I was going to lose him. He was so low on blood, his heart stopped a few times during the turn. I had to force blood into his veins through an IV until his fangs came on and I could slap the bags to his teeth."

"What about Nick?" Wes asked.

The dark haired Warbler looked uncomfortable. Jeff put an arm around his lifemate, hugging him. Nick cleared his throat, and spoke softly. "I was staying at my grandparents house in Virginia. Their new neighbor was a rogue named Xander. He apparently saw me the day I arrived and...took a fancy to me."

His voice cracked, and Jeff turned his face into the crook of his shoulder, soothing him. The blonde glared at the other two, clearly warning them not to ask any more questions. They took the hint. They stood there in an awkward silence for a few minutes. David cleared his throat. "So, um, how was the concert?"

The four boys looked at each other, and burst out laughing. "What's so funny?" Wes demanded.

Kurt went over to the luggage he'd tossed aside when he and Blaine had been...distracted. He pulled a DVD disk from one of the pockets, and then set up his laptop, inserting the disk. After a moment, the sounds of a crowd cheering could be heard. The video quality was surprisingly good.

"They had a professional videographer film the entire concert." Kurt explained. He let David and Wes move closer to the screen as he went to lay back on his bed, finally popping his second bag of blood to his teeth. He closed his eyes and waited for the boys' reactions, and wasn't disappointed.

"Oh my god, Kurt! Is that really you?" Wes shouted. David's ability to speak seemed to have been cut down to "Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!"

Wes stood up and punched Blaine in the shoulder. "What the hell, Wes?"

"Well, I can't punch Kurt, his family scares the crap out of me! But I had to punch someone for not inviting us!"

Kurt finished his bag of blood and glared at Wes. "You do realize that as my lifemate, Blaine is part of my family, and they'll hurt you for hurting him?"

Wes blanched. Kurt laughed. "I'm kidding."

Wes sighed in relief. He glanced around the room at the other five boys. "Okay, so, is someone going to explain to me the whole immortal, fangs, rogues, lifemate thing? Cause apparently I'm the only one here who hasn't read these damn books."

Kurt sighed, went to his book shelf and picked up a book and tossed it to the Asian boy. "Here, this will explain most things."

Wes looked down at the book, looking skeptical. "A Quick Bite?"

"Yeah. Now, if you all will excuse us, Blaine and I have some unfinished business. You guys can take the video with you and watch it on the big screen tomorrow after class."

David looked at him, surprised. "You're not going to erase our memories?"

"Nope," Kurt said, shaking his head. "Just promise me you won't tell anyone else. And for Gaga's sake, make sure no one else reads those damn books!" He herded the other four boys out of his room, shutting the door behind them.

He turned back to the curly haired Warbler still sitting on his bed. "Now, where were we? Oh yeah, with fewer clothes on!"

…

Stephanie walked through the halls of McKinley on Monday not really paying attention to where she was going. For once she didn't even notice the bombardment of thoughts, too lost in her own thoughts to notice anything. She loved Elvi and Victor, and all her friends in Port Henry. But she had made so many friends here in Lima. How could she just leave them behind for an entire summer?

"Hey, Steph!" Artie called out, breaking into her thoughts. She smiled at the boy. How could she leave him for an entire summer? She hugged the boy tight.

"Yo, girl, what do you have against real men?" Azimio shouted from down the hallway. "First you hug that fag Hummel, now you're hugging that gimp!"

She felt Artie tense up, and she turned to glare at the behemoth. "I don't know, I don't see any other real men around here. Kurt, Artie, and the boys in Glee seem to be the only ones I can find. Maybe if you weren't such a scared little boy you wouldn't need to try and put people down."

"What did you say to me, little girl?" The large jock growled advancing on her.

"Hey, Azimio, what the hell man?" A large form asserted itself between the football player and the petite girl. "Not cool! What do you think you are doing picking on a girl?" Karofsky demanded.

"She's a mouthy little bi..."

"You finish that sentence and I'll kick your ass from here to next Tuesday. Lay off her!" Karofsky said, stepping closer to the other jock.

Azimio glanced at the boy he considered to be one of his best friends. "Whatever, man. I'm outta here."

Karofsky watched the other boy walk away, then, shoulders slumping, he turned and faced the small girl and the geeky baritone in the wheelchair. He looked from one to the other, and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry." Without another word, he turned and walked away. Stephanie watched him go, and a small smile played over her face. Turning back to Artie, she smiled and slipped into his lap.

"So, Hot Wheels, walk me to class?"

They laughed as Artie began rolling down the hallway. "Where to, M'Lady?"

"To the gym, please!" He dropped her off outside the gym, and she rewarded him with a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you in Glee later!"

She waved to him as he rolled away, then slipped inside to get ready for PE. Mercedes met her in the girls' locker room. "Hey girlfriend! I heard you had an awesome spring break!"

Stephanie grinned at her. "Yeah, it was pretty amazing, 'Cedes! I wish you could have joined us."

The diva laughed. "Yeah, Kurt said the same thing. It's alright. I'm only a little jealous."

"Ladies, hurry up, class starts in two minutes." Sue called out. They finished dressing, and joined Tina and Mike in the gym, groaning when they saw that it was set up for dodge ball. Stephanie was dismayed to see Azimio on the other side of the gym, glaring at her.

"Listen up!" Sue shouted into her megaphone. "Stop whining! Yes, we are playing dodge ball! Girls vs boys. No head shots, no groin shots, and no crying! Line up! Go!"

The period seemed to crawl by as they played three rounds of dodge ball. The girls won the first game, and the boys took the second. The third game seemed to drag on longer than the first two, both sides tiring. Soon it was down to Stephanie, Mercedes, and Tina on the girls' side, and Mike, Azimio and two hockey players on the boys'.

Mike had been taking it easy, not wanting to hurt a girl, especially his girlfriend, but the other three boys refused to be beaten by girls, and were going all out. Rick "The Stick" threw a ball as hard as he could, straight at Tina, who couldn't catch it and was called out. Stephanie grabbed up the ball, slamming it back, perhaps using a little more strength than was strictly called for, and knocked the hockey captain out of the game.

Mercedes got knocked out a moment later, leaving Stephanie alone against the three males. She threw a ball at Mike, who was distracted, smiling at Tina. The ball bounced off his shoulder.

Unfortunately Stephanie was out of balls. She tried to keep her attention on both boys. Azimio seemed to be holding back, while the other hockey player charged forward with two balls, throwing one, then the other in quick succession. She was busy trying to avoid the two balls, that she didn't see Azimio send the third ball straight at her face. She felt the crunch of breaking bone and cartilage.

For a moment there was a stunned silence in the gym. Stephanie reached up and covered her face, looking around quickly, hoping no one else noticed how seriously she was injured. Suddenly everyone seemed to be moving at once. Sue rushed towards Azimio, bellowing at him, reminding him that she had said no head shots. The other girls started to rush towards her, asking if she was okay.

"I'b fibe." She said, voice sounding strange. She hoped no one could see how badly she was bleeding. She backed away, repeating over and over that she was fine. She turned and ran out of the gym, knowing she had to get away from them before anyone could see that her nose was completely broken. She began to run to the parking lot, but stopped when she realized she didn't have any blood at school. She hadn't refilled the hidden solar powered mini fridge when she returned from spring break.

She could drive back to Burt's and get some, but she wasn't sure how well she could drive with her face quickly swelling.

"Stephanie!" Mercedes called out. "Hold up, girl!"

Stephanie was holding back tears, and knew she was losing a lot of blood. "Mewcedbes, I beed helb. I dob't hab anby bwood ib by car, abd I dob't tink I can bait dill I get bwack to Bwurt's. I dob't dnow whapt do bo!"

Mercedes took her arm and led her into a janitor's closet. "Okay, calm down, sweety. How much blood do you need?"

Stephanie squinted at her. Her preternatural sight would have allowed her to see fine, but her face was so swollen now she could barely open her eyes. "Whapt?"

Mercedes took both of her hands. "Listen, I know you can control me and make it so it doesn't hurt, so I'm willing to give you a little of my blood if it helps."

Stephanie was shocked. "Mewcebes, I...I cab't! I dob't hab fwangs dike Kurbt. I'b hab to cut dou, abd I dob't bant bo do dat! Kurbt bould habe me!"

"We'll see about that!" The dark skinned girl pulled out her phone and sent off a quick text message.

…

Kurt had just set up his Chemistry experiment when he felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. He glanced around cautiously before pulling it from his pocket. He frowned at the text from Mercedes.

SOS, Steph Emergency. Call ASAP -M

Kurt glanced around once more, then slipped the phone into his pocket. "Mr. Larson? I don't feel so good. May I be excused to go to the nurse?"

Once he was out of the classroom, he all but ran to the parking lot, dialing Mercedes as he unlocked the SUV.

"Mercedes, what's going on?"

"Kurt, I want you to tell Stephanie that it is okay for her to cut me so she can feed."

"What?"

"No time to talk, white boy, we're in the janitor's closet at McKinley, and she's hurt pretty bad and needs blood, and there's none here. So tell her to cut me, and then I'll tell you what happened."

Kurt swallowed. "Put me on speaker phone."

He heard a sniffling sound, and then what he thought was Stephanie speaking, but her voice was garbled. "Stephanie, I'm on my way. How bad are you hurt?"

"By nobes ibs bwoken"

It took a second for him to understand what she had said. "Your nose is broken?"

"Yebs. I'b bweeding pwetty babt, abd dob't hab anby bagged bwood."

Kurt swore softly under his breath. "Okay, listen sweetie, I know you are scared, and I know you don't want to do it, but if Mercedes is willing, I think you should allow her to give you some blood. Even just a few sips will help. It will take me an hour at least to get to you."

"But...I dob't bant do be dike himb!" She wailed. Kurt sighed, knowing exactly what she was talking about.

"Stephanie, you are nothing like Leonius. You are kind, and loving, and gentle, and funny. You won't let Mercedes suffer the way he made you suffer. You'll keep her calm, and won't allow her to feel any pain or discomfort."

"Pwease dob't let be hurb her."

"I promise. I'll stay on the phone and talk you both through it. Now, do you have something sharp you can use? A pin, an exacto knife, anything?" He heard the sound of things being moved around.

"I found some new razor blades," Mercedes said.

"Good, now, Mercedes, find someplace to sit down comfortably." He heard them shifting around again. "Comfortable?"

"As much as I can be sitting on the floor of a cramped Janitor's closet."

"Okay, good. Now Stephanie, do you have the blade?"

"Yebs."

"Okay, now I want to you slip into Mercedes' mind and make sure she remains calm and pain free." There was a moments silence.

"I cab't."

"What?"

"By eyes arbe swolben shupt. I cab't see her."

Kurt swore again. "Mercedes, put your hand in hers. Physical contact will allow her to slip into your mind."

More shifting sounds. He heard Stephanie sob softly. "I'b sowwy." And then silence.

"Stephanie?"

"I'b im. Sheps unber." He could hear the tremble in the younger immortal's voice.

"Okay, good. Now the hand you are holding, bend it slightly at the elbow and find the vein, but don't cut yet."

"Obkay, foubd dit."

"Okay, make sure she's feeling calm and relaxed, and then very lightly run the blade along the vein, but only about a quarter of an inch, and don't cut too deep."

He heard the girl sob again, and she kept whispering over and over. "I'b sowwy, I'b sowwy."

"You're doing okay, Stephanie. Now make the cut just a little bit deeper. The blood should be flowing freely now. Go ahead and feed, just try and remember to keep her as calm as possible. I'm going to count out loud to 60, and when I get to sixty, I want you to stop immediately and apply pressure to the cut."

He waited until he heard the sound of sucking and swallowing, and counted at a steady pace, murmuring encouraging words every few seconds. He'd reached forty five when he heard a noise in the back ground. Voices drew nearer.

"I know she was bleeding pretty bad, Mike. Look, you can see the trail of blood." Tina said.

Crap, Kurt thought, afraid to speak in case the couple heard his voice. He hoped Stephanie wasn't too deeply engrossed in feeding and had heard them. He swore again when he heard Mike's reply.

"Why does the trail lead into the janitor's closet?"

He had to risk it, he thought. "Stephanie! Stop now!" But it was too late. He heard the sound of the door opening, and all hell breaking lose. He tossed his phone down and put the accelerator to the floor. 'Please, just don't let me get into another wreck,' he thought.


	8. Concerned Citizens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened when two Asians walked into a closet with a diva and a fang-less vampire? Read on!

Kurt put the car in park, and barely managed to free himself from the seat belt without ripping it. He ran as fast as he could without preternatural speed. When he reached the janitor's closet, it was empty. Where the hell were they? There was only one other place he could think to check, and sprinted down the hall to the choir room, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw Mercedes and Stephanie sitting on the piano bench.

He glanced around the room and saw Mike and Tina sitting across the room, and Artie talking to them. They glanced up at him as he entered, but his focus was on the diva and the immortal girl. He noted the gauze wrapping Mercedes' arm, glad to see that she didn't seem to be too seriously hurt.

He knelt down in front of the smaller girl. Her face was pretty much one large bruise, but the swelling seemed to be going down. He smiled at her, and then looked back at Mercedes.

"'Cedes, can you go out to my SUV, and get a bag of blood from the mini fridge hidden under the back seat?" He explained to her how to free the latch. "There will be some straws in there, too. Bring one of those as well. Hide them in your book bag, and knock when you get back here, I'm going to lock the doors."

She smiled at him, and gave Stephanie a quick hug before she stood. "Oh, and if you could grab my keys and lock up behind you, that would be appreciated. I'm not sure I even closed my door."

Once the girl had left, he rose and closed both doors, locking them. He then moved over to Artie, Mike and Tina. Mike smiled at him, though Tina didn't seem to know how to act around him.

"Artie explained things to you?" He asked. Why did it seem easier when the Warblers found out? New Directions were supposed to be his friends, but they seemed to more wary of him than the Dalton boys had. Was it just because of those books? Should he let his friends here read them?

Mike nodded. "It's cool, Kurt. We just kind of freaked out when we saw your cousin with blood all over her face, and her mouth on Mercedes' bleeding arm. Artie found us almost immediately and told us to calm down, that everything was fine."

Kurt nodded at the tall Asian boy. "Thanks, Mike. Tina? I'm still the same Kurt you've known since sixth grade. Please don't start treating me any different."

The goth Asian girl smiled weakly at him. "I'm sorry, Kurt. It's just a little much to process at once. I mean, it's cool that vampires are real, but to find out one of your closest friends is one and never told you?"

Kurt sighed. "We prefer the term immortals. Vampires are soulless creatures of the night. We aren't evil. Well, not all of us. We're human like you, and just like humans there are good ones and bad ones. Stephanie was turned by one of the most evil immortals ever. It's been very hard on her, and she really needs as many friends as she can get."

Tina nodded and smiled shyly. "What about you, Kurt? Who turned you? And When?"

"I was born immortal. My mother was an immortal, and she turned my dad back during World War II."

Mike looked stunned. "Your dad? How old is he?"

Kurt laughed. "He'll be one hundred and thirteen in June."

"How old was your mom? And how did she die?" Tina asked.

Kurt's smile turned sad. "She had just turned six hundred and twenty six a few days before she died. She was a rogue hunter, though she retired when I was born. Rogue hunters are our law enforcement. Rogues are immortals who break our laws. When I was eight, there were reports of possible rogue activity in Akron. There weren't any active hunters in the area, so Uncle Lucian, who is the head of the North American council, our governing body, asked Mom to check it out while he got a team together to send down here."

His voice broke a little and he cleared his throat a couple of times. "She was only supposed to check out the reports, not go after them, but Jeremiah, the rogue, caught her unawares. He..." He couldn't continue. Artie patted him on the back.

"There are only a few ways to really kill immortals," Artie informed them. "One of them is by beheading them."

Tina gasped, and sobbed, and hugged the countertenor. "Oh, Kurt! I am so sorry!"

"Thanks, Tina." They hugged for several minutes, until a soft knocking on one of the doors alerted them to Mercedes' return. Mike went to let her in and relock the door behind her. Kurt moved over to take the bag of blood from her, and Stabbed it with a straw and handed it to Stephanie, who drank it self consciously. Kurt examined her face again, frowning a little now that he had a better look.

"It mended a little crooked. I can re-break it and set it properly. It will hurt like a bitch, and we'll have to go back to my house for more blood. We should go back anyway, let you clean up. And now that you have more blood in your system for the nanos to work with, the healing is going to really hurt anyway."

She nodded as she finished the bag. She smiled shyly at him, and then looked at the darker skinned girl. "Thank you, Mercedes. You were very brave."

Mercedes hugged her. "That's what friends are for."

Kurt hugged his best friend. "Come over to the house after Glee club. You too, Mike, Tina. Artie, why don't you ride with Stephanie now, and I'll follow in my SUV."

Twenty minutes later he unlocked the front door and held it open for the other two. "Why don't you lay down on the couch. I'll get a few more bags of blood and then reset your nose."

As he was getting the blood from the fridge hidden in the garage (well, hidden from Finn,) Teenage Dream sounded from his pocket. He smiled to himself, knowing his lifemate would call to check up on him.

"Hello, Boston City Morgue, you stab 'em, we slab 'em. We have a two for one special today. How may I direct your call?"

There was a pause on the other end, and then Blaine chuckled. "Well, if you can make jokes, then I guess things aren't too bad. Wes said he saw you running out of the building and taking off like a bat out of hell a couple hours ago."

"Yeah, Stephanie was injured at school, and needed blood, but didn't have any with her. She was afraid to feed 'off the hoof,' even though Mercedes offered." Kurt scooped up six bags of blood, and closed the fridge.

"Oh my god, Kurt, is she okay? What happened?" Blaine was genuinely concerned.

"I still don't know how it happened, but her nose was broken. It already healed, but it was crooked, so I am going to reset it for her in a few minutes. I probably won't get back to Dalton until late tonight. Could you do me a huge favor and check and make sure the panel in my closet got fixed and that my delivery from ABB gets put away?"

"Of course. Call me if you need anything else. Love you."

"Love you too."

He hung up the phone and went back into the living room. He set the bags of blood down and turned on the lamp. Most of the bruising was gone now. "Okay, I know this is going to hurt, and I'm so sorry. Artie, can you shift onto the couch so that her head is on your lap?"

He helped them shift around so that Artie was sitting sideways on the couch, with Stephanie resting between his legs. The younger boy holding her head still. He leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose carefully, and she smiled at him.

"Ready?" Kurt asked, placing his left arm across her chest to hold her down, and the fingers of his right hand preparing to apply the necessary force to re break and set the nose properly.

"Ready." She took a deep breath, and Kurt gave a sharp twist and quickly aligned the cartilage and bone. She screamed at the pain, which hurt more than the original break.

"There, that should be good now. I'll talk to Carole later and show her how to apply your make up in the morning, so it will look like you are trying to conceal bruising, or people who saw you get hurt will be suspicious how it healed so fast."

He punctured one of the bags of blood with a straw and handed it to her. While she fed, Kurt turned to Artie. "How did this happen in the first place?"

"It was Azimio. He was taunting her in the hallway between classes for being with me, and her being her bad-ass self put him in his place, calling him a scared little boy. Karofsky chased him off at the time, but he..."

"Karofsky chased him off?" Kurt asked, surprised by this news.

"Um, yeah. Said it wasn't cool to pick on a girl, and then he turned around and apologized, a bit awkwardly, and then walked off. But later in in gym class, they were playing dodge ball, boys vs girls, and Azimio slammed her in the face with a ball!"

Stephanie finished the bag of blood, and reached for another. "Coach Sue was livid, shouting in his face about head shots and attacking girls. I took advantage of her distraction to run out of the gym before anyone could realize how badly I was injured."

She stabbed the second bag and began to drink. Kurt glanced at her. "Careful, don't drink it too fast, the nanos will accelerate the healing even more, and it will hurt like nothing you've ever felt before. After that bag, wait at least fifteen minutes before you have another."

She nodded at him and lay back on the couch, resting against Artie's chest. She felt too comfortable to bother getting up and going to change out of her blood stained clothes. Kurt decided to put a video on, and the three teens settled in, forgetting for the moment the empty bags of blood sitting on the table.

...

The movie was a horror film, but one of those really cheesy ones were the teens are too stupid to live. They were so engrossed in the film, no one heard the front door open, or the usually loud footsteps of Finn.

Finn heard a scream of terror, and looked into the living room. The only thing he could see was Stephanie, covered in blood. The tall teen had no clue what was going on, but was afraid there was a vicious killer in the house. As silently as he could, he backed out of the house and fled.

…

At about three-thirty, Kurt's phone chimed a text message. Before he could pull it out of his pocket, a second text chimed. Suddenly the texts were coming in so fast he couldn't keep up with it. "Guess Wes and David played the Gaga video for the Warblers."

You sang with Gaga? Lucky! -Thad

I'm so jealous, you got to be on stage with the goddess! -Trent

Can I have your autograph? -Beatz

Damn, Kurt, who knew you could move like that? -Luke

Dump Blaine and marry me? - Jordan

And many other similar ones from all the different Warblers. Kurt read them out loud to the other two teens.

"Oh, Stephanie, I think this one is for you. 'That Goth chic is hot, can I get her phone number?'"

She smiled. "1-800-Im 2 hot 4u."

Artie laughed and kissed her forehead. "Damn straight."

Kurt laughed and texted back the response.

He was surprised when Carole suddenly rushed into the house, glancing around as if searching for something. "Oh, thank goodness you all are alright! Finn texted me and said someone had broken into the house and attacked Stephanie!"

"What?" Kurt shouted. "When?"

"About twenty minutes ago. He said he walked in and heard a scream, and saw Stephanie covered in blood."

"Oh crap," the girl said. "I never changed my clothes!" She carefully climbed off the couch, trying not to knock Artie off, and ran upstairs to the guest room she had been using.

"What happened?" Carole asked, confused.

Kurt explained the incident as he helped Artie back into his chair, and then disposed of the blood bags. He sighed and pushed the other boy into the kitchen to start dinner, Carole following behind them.

"So where is Finn now, and what are we going to tell him?" Kurt asked.

Carole began gathering the stuff to make chicken cacciatore as she answered. "He's at Puck's house. I should call him and tell him everything is fine, and it's safe to come home. For now we'll tell him Stephanie had a nose bleed and was watching a movie when he walked in."

Artie sat at the table, chopping bell peppers as Carole talked to her son. "Shouldn't you guys tell Finn about immortals? He's going to have to find out eventually."

Kurt and Carole shrugged. As she hung up, there was a knock on the front door. It was Mercedes, Tina and Mike. He smiled and waved them inside.

"Hey, Mrs. H. Why did I get a text from Finn a little while ago about crazed killers on the loose?" Mercedes asked.

"Probably because we didn't hear him come in earlier, and I was still covered in blood at the time." Stephanie answered, entering the room, showered and changed.

"Oh, wow," Tina said, looking the other girl over. "You look much better now! Those nano thingies are amazing!"

"Thanks. So, what are we going to do about Finn. Do we tell him, or not?"


	9. First Impressions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will Finn learn the truth? What about the rest of New Directions? Who will discover the secret next?

In the end, they decided to hold off telling Finn anything, but try to convince the boy to read at least one of the books to see how he would react. At the very least, it would give the boy a chance to get used to the idea, though Kurt wasn't certain how they would get the teen to read anything, let alone a so called paranormal romance.

They finished fixing dinner around the time Finn finally arrived home. He was pretty embarrassed by the incident earlier, and would hardly look at Stephanie all evening. Kurt felt sorry for him. The boy was his stepbrother, and they were deliberately keeping a secret from him.

Mercedes, Tina, and Mike all left after dinner, while Artie and Stephanie sat in the living room watching a movie. Kurt finished cleaning the kitchen, then headed back to Dalton. On the drive back, he couldn't stop thinking of Finn. He hadn't really talked to the boy much since the wedding, and he really felt guilty about that, especially since Finn had sang that song to him and had made the effort to build a relationship with him.

Keeping secrets from him felt like a betrayal. He knew the boy was very sensitive, and was very protective of his mother. He was worried the taller boy would freak out when he learned about her new nature.

He pulled into the parking lot and made his way to his dorm, suddenly feeling exhausted. Sighing, he lay down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. A few minutes later there was a soft knock on his door, and Blaine entered.

"Hey, how'd things go?"

Kurt sighed and slid over, making room on the bed for the other boy. "Everything is fine with Stephanie. Tina and Mike found out about us. And Finn freaked out when he saw Stephanie covered in blood."

"What?" Blaine snuggled closer to the pale boy. Kurt rolled over to rest his head on the other boy's shoulder.

"We were watching a video, and apparently were so engrossed we didn't notice him come home. He apparently heard a scream and saw Stephanie laying on the couch covered in blood, but didn't notice Artie or me, or realize that the scream was from the movie. He retreated and called his mom. Thank Gaga he didn't call the police."

"So, did you tell him the truth?"

Kurt sighed again. "No, we decided to wait a little longer, maybe get him to read my cousin's books. It just doesn't seem fair to him, though. He's part of the family now too. And he has been trying to be a good brother. I feel so guilty for not telling him."

Blaine hugged him and kissed his forehead. "You'll figure it out, and things will work out for the best. Now, how did Tina and Mike find out, and how did Stephanie break her nose?"

Kurt recounted the episode to him, stifling a yawn as he talked. "Oh, and Karofsky stood up for Stephanie before the dodge ball incident."

"Good, I'm glad he seems to be working things out. You're exhausted. Go to sleep. We'll talk tomorrow, maybe figure out a way to help Finn out."

"MMM, 'night, Blaine," he mumbled, already half asleep. "Love you."

"Love you, too."

…

The rest of the week was pretty much uneventful until Warblers' practice on Thursday, when Kurt announced that he was transferring back to McKinley the following week. He'd intended to stay longer, but Nick and Jeff had been quick studies, and he felt comfortable leaving them and Blaine in Teddy's care. The immortal sheriff would remain at Dalton, teaching self defense, until the end of the school year.

When Kurt had told the Warblers that he was leaving, they all protested, wanting him to remain. They had all come to like the pale skinned boy, and would miss his sense of humor and witty remarks.

"I love you all, you've been so welcoming, and accepting. But I miss my friends at McKinley. Besides, this isn't goodbye. I'll still see you guys now and then."

"It won't be the same," Trent pouted.

Kurt laughed and hugged him. "True, but we'll still be friends."

All the boys hugged him, telling him how much he'd be missed.

Friday afternoon, as he packed the last of his stuff in his dad's truck, the Warblers gathered on the steps, and sung their farewell, Blaine leading them in Somewhere only we know. Kurt couldn't hold back his tears, hugging the dark haired boy tight. They'd still spend every moment they could together, and they'd probably wear out their fingers texting, but Kurt would miss seeing him every day. And he'd miss the shared dreams.

"I'm never saying goodbye to you," he whispered as they hugged tightly.

Blaine kissed his cheek. "There's only six more weeks of school until summer vacation. We'll be able to spend almost every day together then. And I'll see you almost every weekend."

Kurt released him reluctantly. "You're coming to dinner tomorrow, right?"

"Of course. And you're going to call me the minute you get home."

They laughed, and finally, Kurt got in his SUV and followed his Dad out of the parking lot. It was bittersweet. He hated leaving Dalton, but he couldn't wait to get back to McKinley on Monday.

…

Saturday morning, Kurt found himself sitting in the waiting room of Liz Montez, youth counselor at the local free clinic. Ms. Montez specialized in LGBTQ youths, but also gave advice for other problems faced by teens in Northern Ohio.

He'd been waiting for about ten minutes when the door opened. The boy who stepped out was still facing the woman inside, thanking her for her time. Kurt could hear her response, telling him that he had been making real progress and she was glad he had decided to come to her for help.

When the boy turned around, he froze in his tracks when he saw Kurt.

Kurt smiled. "Hello, Dave. Don't panic, I'm not going to tell anyone. It's not my story to tell. I just wanted to talk to you for a few minutes, away from prying eyes and ears. Can I buy you lunch?"

Half an hour later, they were sitting in a small dinner in the middle of nowhere, enjoying their surprisingly good hamburgers in silence for the moment. Dave kept glancing at him and looking away nervously. Once they had finished eating, the larger boy finally asked.

"So, how did you figure it out? And why didn't you tell anyone else?"

Kurt just shook his head. "I told you, not my story to tell. And no, I don't think anyone other than Stephanie and I have figured it out. How we figured it out really doesn't matter, either. When you are ready, you'll tell the ones who matter to you. We can talk about that later, though. For now I wanted to let you know that I'm returning to McKinley on Monday. I would like it if when I return, I don't have to deal with the daily torment of locker shoves and slushie facials. I'm hoping that you will be able to influence the other jocks enough to leave me alone."

"Are you going to out me if I don't?" The other boy asked, obviously confused.

Kurt shook his head. "I know how hard it is to hide something that is a part of you, something that you have no control over. Believe me, I know how you feel."

"How can you? You're out and you don't care who knows."

Kurt reached over and put his hand on the other boy's. "I wasn't always out, you know. And there are still things about myself that I hide from people. I've recently begun allowing some people to know the real me, to show them all of who I really am, but it's scary. Some of the people I consider my best friends were disturbed by what they learned, but they accepted it, and now we're closer than ever before. One day you'll be at that point, and no matter how scared you are, or how they react, you'll feel so much better knowing you are being true to yourself."

Dave studied him for a moment, and squeezed his hand. "Thank you. I think that was exactly what I needed to hear. And I want to apologize to you for the way I treated you. I know I was just taking my insecurities out on you. That wasn't fair of me."

Kurt smiled at him. "Thank you."

Dave blushed and pulled his hand away. "So, um, I heard you found a boyfriend at that fancy school you transferred to. Does he treat you okay? Cause, you know, if he hurts you, I'll beat the crap out of him."

Kurt laughed, and told him about Blaine. He could tell the other boy was crushing on him a little, and slipped into his mind, gently removing those feelings. "Someday, you are going to met a guy that will sweep you off your feet. He'll see how special you are, and make you feel it every day. And when you do, you'll know the true meaning of happiness."

…

Monday came, and for the most part his return to McKinley was uneventful, in the best way possible. There were no locker shoves, no slushie facials, no derogatory remarks thrown his way. Azimio kept giving him evil looks, but had to be on his best behavior as he was still on probation for hitting Stephanie in the face the week before. If Sue had realized how badly the girl really had been injured, the jock probably would have already been suspended.

Glee club was amazing. They threw him a welcome home party, and he sang As if We Never Said Goodbye.

The following week was both the best and the worst he had had at McKinley. He hadn't laughed or smiled so much in these hallways, he'd always been waiting for the other shoe to drop. But at the same time, he missed Blaine, and the Warblers.

Thank Gaga it was Friday. Blaine was coming over tonight and would be staying the entire weekend. He had an extra bounce in his step as he entered the choir room for Glee. Stephanie and Artie were already there, along with Mercedes, all laughing hysterically as Sam did impressions. Kurt watched them with a smile as he took a seat.

The blonde boy smiled at him. "Hey, Kurt, I heard your boyfriend was coming up for the weekend. Have any plans for tomorrow?"

"Not yet, why?"

"Well, Steph, Artie, 'Cedes, and I were thinking of taking my little brother and sister to this street fair over in Akron, if you guys want to join us. There'll be shopping, food, music, and crafts for the kids."

"You had me at shopping. I'll talk to Blaine this evening, but I'm pretty sure he'd like to go, too."

…

They left early Saturday morning, the six teens and two kids all packed into Kurt's SUV. They had the radio on, and everyone was singing along, including Sam's brother and sister. They arrived just as the stalls opened, beating out the crowds, which allowed them to browse the various vendors at their leisure. Stevie and Stacey had fun at a stall selling vintage play clothes. Kurt bought Stacey a flapper costume with heels and a headband, and he got Stevie a pirate costume, complete with fake sword and eye patch.

Sam was a little flustered at first, telling Kurt it wasn't necessary to buy things for any of them. Kurt just laughed.

"I had to! Your sister has excellent tastes, I couldn't let someone else have that outfit. And it was only fair to get something for your brother, too." He could tell the other boy was a little uncomfortable accepting money from others. Sam had brought enough money for lunch for the three of them, and to get each of them some small item. He'd really only wanted to come for the music and companionship with his friends, and to get the kids out of the house for a few hours. Kurt pulled him aside.

"Hey, look at me. I like making people happy, and I like spending money. It's not charity. It's what friends do. So for today, you are going to smile and laugh, and look the other way when I pay for almost everything, okay?"

"But..."

"No buts. Repeat after me... You are the greatest friend ever, Kurt Hummel."

Sam laughed and repeated the words. They visited several more stalls, and Kurt bought Stephanie a skull and crossbones choker, and some sheet music for Artie. He got Mercedes a Tshirt, and a bow tie for Blaine. He bought some earrings for Carole, a hat for his dad, and a video game for Finn. He bought himself a couple scarves and a pendent made of gears that formed a frog. He bought gifts for the other members of New Directions, too, but Sam refused to let him buy anything for him.

As lunch time approached, Kurt and Blaine offered to take the bags back to the car, and asked Stephanie to come with them. Mercedes and Artie knew the immortals needed to feed, and agreed to wait for them near the food stalls. By now the crowds had grown much bigger, and it took them a few minutes to find a table in the shade.

"I'll get us something to drink while we wait," Sam offered, feeling like he could at least contribute something. He went to pull out his wallet and stopped. "Crap, I just realized I left my wallet in Kurt's SUV. I'm going to run and see if I can catch up with them. We didn't park too far from here."

Mercedes and Artie started to protest, but Sam had already vanished into the crowd, leaving the two alone with Stevie and Stacey. They exchanged a look that said 'crap, now what do we do?"

Back at the SUV, they stored the bags in the back end, then got in and opened the hidden fridge under the backseat. They were each on their second bag of blood when the front door opened unexpectedly. At first Sam didn't notice them, just reached for his wallet.

His eyes had only just begun to adjust to the change in light when he spotted them, and it didn't register at first what they were doing. "Oh, hey, I forgot my wallet. I just came to...Um, is that blood?"

Kurt pulled the empty bag from his mouth, eyes wide in surprise. "Oh, uh, why would you think it was blood?"

Sam looked confused. "Because it's red and has 'Argeneau Blood Bank' written on it? So, are you guys like, vampires or something?"

The three exchanged looks. "You aren't going to freak out?" Blaine asked.

Sam shook his head no. "My cousin was bitten by a vampire in Tennessee about ten years ago. You three don't seem to be bad vampires. You're too nice."

Kurt cleared his throat. "We actually prefer the term immortal. If your cousin was bitten by one of our kind, then they had gone rogue. I'll have to check with Lucian and see if they had any rogue cases there back then."

Sam shrugged. "Do the others know?"

"Mercedes and Artie know, and Tina and Mike. But you can't tell anyone else."

Sam nodded, and pocketed his wallet as the other three exited the van. "So, is Finn one of you, too? He's your stepbrother, right?"

Kurt shook his head no. "Finn is mortal, but his mom is one of us now. My Dad turned her when he found she was his lifemate. But you can't talk to Finn about this either. He doesn't know yet."

"Your dad is immortal too?"

"Yeah. I was born immortal, but my Dad was mortal. My Mother turned him back in 1943."

They returned to the table where Mercedes and Artie were sitting with the two younger Evans. The two teens watched them approach, looking concerned. Stephanie smiled reassuringly at them. "He knows," is all she said, shrugging.

Kurt was still a little shocked at how anticlimactic it had been. They ate lunch in relative silence, then resumed browsing the stalls. One stall was selling books. Mercedes found A Quick Bite and a couple other Luc Amerault books. "These are the books your cousin wrote, aren't they?"

She asked Kurt. He nodded. "I'm going to buy them. I want to learn more about your family." She said, a laughing twinkle in her eyes.

Sam looked them over. He was dyslexic, but thought maybe he should try and read them too, to get an understanding of immortals. Kurt sighed and pulled all of the Luc Amerault books he could find, and paid for them himself. "Maybe you guys can convince Finn to read some of them. I hate the fact that we've been keeping this secret from him."

They spent the rest of the afternoon listening to music, and even danced and sang some, before heading back to Lima around sunset. When they got back to Kurt's house, Finn and Puck were sitting in the living room with Lauren, playing video games. They ordered Pizza, and Kurt showed them the stuff he'd bought, giving them theirs.

Finn was happy with the video game, and Puck liked the portfolio organizer for his pool cleaning business. Even Lauren liked the cap he'd purchased for her. She glanced over the stacks of books. "Luc Amerault?"

"My cousin," Kurt explained. "His real name is Lucern Argeneau. Mercedes and Sam both wanted to read them when they found out he was related to me. I figured I'd buy a bunch in case anyone else wanted to read them, too. Help yourself if you want."

The large girl took two of the books. Kurt took one of the books and handed it to Finn. "Here, I know it's not really your genre, but if you ever meet my cousin, you'll be able to say you've read at least one of his books."

The taller boy frowned. "Paranormal romance? Really, dude?"

"Hey, don't knock it til you try it. You might even like it. This one is all about vampire hunters," Mercedes said, pointing to a copy of The Immortal Hunter. Kurt knew it was risky giving the boy the book about Stephanie's kidnapping, but it was one of the books with the most action in it, and he thought he might be more inclined to read that one rather than one of the more lovey dovey ones.

"Whatever." Finn replied, taking the book, flipping through the pages. The three immortals exchanged a look, knowing it was a long shot, but hoping the boy would actually read it.


	10. Prom

"Prom?" Blaine asked, unsure he had heard correctly.

"Yes, you, me, fancy outfits, dancing," Kurt said temptingly, and then sighed. "Look, I know the last dance you went to didn't end on a good note, and if you say no, I'll be perfectly fine with it. I just want to spend some time with you. If you don't want to go to prom, we can watch videos all night in my room. Or we can go out to dinner and a movie. We could pack a picnic and dance by ourselves under the stars. What ever you want to do."

Blaine smiled at him. "It would be my honor to go to prom with you."

Kurt's smile lit up the room. "Thank you thank you thank you! I promise nothing will go wrong! It will be perfect!"

…

"And your 2011 Prom Queen is...Kurt Hummel."

The silence in the gym was so thick, even the crickets were too afraid to chirp. Kurt looked around at the faces of the McKinley student body. Their faces all showed the truth they had been hiding since he had returned. None of them wanted him here. He didn't belong. This was their cruel way of telling him exactly what they thought of him.

Tears slid down his face and he couldn't hold back a choked sob as he ran out the nearest exit, followed a second later by Blaine. Stephanie watched them go, fury shaking within her. She saw Santana and Quinn both also storm out. She'd worry about them later, for now, she was going to give these people a piece of her mind. She stomped onto the stage and glared out at the audience.

"How dare you? What has Kurt ever done to any of you? Are you all so pathetic you have to try and tear someone else down to make yourselves feel better?" She knew she was projecting compulsion onto each and every one of them, and at the moment she didn't care. She wanted them to realize what they had done. "Kurt Hummel is one of the kindest, sweetest, most generous souls on this planet, and you all can't stand the fact that he's a little different than you! Well guess what? Being different is the best thing about him! You are just jealous because you are too afraid to be yourselves, and he wears it proudly, even when it means he is constantly being bullied for it! You all should be ashamed of yourselves!"

She glared at them all once more, and then walked regally off stage, and was immediately surrounded by the members of New Directions still present in the gym. They all smiled at her, and high fived her. She sat down on Artie's lap, burying her face in his neck as tears started to fall. They wheeled out of the gym, followed by the others, stopping in the choir room.

"Wow, Stephanie, that took guts. I wish I had thought of doing that." Tina hugged her.

"You're brave, girl," Lauren said. "I like that. You're gonna kick butt at this school. They won't know what hit them."

Stephanie let out a little giggle at that, sniffling a little as she wiped at the tears. "I just can't stand to see people treated like that. Don't they know how cruel the world already is?"

Artie held her tighter. He knew exactly why she was crying. He murmured softly to her, knowing she would hear him. "Not everyone is cruel. You and Kurt will have a very long time to change the world for the better. Who knows, after tonight, some of those idiots in there might realize what they've done and make a change for the better."

She noticed Finn giving her a peculiar look as she hugged Artie again. The tall teen just gave her a little nod of acknowledgment, and she knew, without reading his thoughts, that the older boy had read the book Kurt had given him, and put the puzzle pieces together.

She smiled at him, and then looked at the others in the room. "Come on, let's go back in there and support Kurt. Knowing him, he'll be back in there any minute to make those morons feel just how small and insignificant they are."

Mercedes laughed. "Amen to that. That boy is titanium."

They all agreed with that, and headed back into the gym, and were met by Quinn, Rachel, Santana and Brittany. Tina filled them in on what had happened after they'd left. Quinn and Santana both apologized to the younger girl, and Rachel and Brittany hugged her.

…

Blaine smiled at his boyfriend, handing him a tissue. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Kurt blew his nose, straightened his kilt, jacket, and his spine, and holding his head up, he nodded. "I refuse to let them win."

"After you, then, my King."

"Or Queen, as it were," Kurt retorted. They both grinned, and headed in to the gym.

The first thing Kurt saw was New Directions, standing beside the stage, smiling encouragingly at him. He returned their smile, and took the stage with regal grace, accepted his crown and scepter. He looked out at the crowd with his best Bitch glare in place.

"Eat your heart out, Kate Middleton."

New directions began to cheer, and the other students begrudgingly followed suit.

"And now it is time for the traditional first dance with your Prom King and Queen."

Kurt's eyes went a little wide as he glanced over at Karofsky. He could see the fear in the other boy's face. He smiled playfully at him. "Well no offense to his majesty, but he's not really my type, and I've never been one to stand on tradition anyway. So if you don't mind, I think I'd rather dance with my boyfriend."

Kurt saw the look of gratitude David sent him, that was quickly masked. He turned to Blaine, and smiled. "May I have this dance?"

"You may." And they stepped into each other's arms as Mercedes began to sing.

You shout it out,  
But I can't hear a word you say  
I'm talking loud, not saying much  
I'm criticized but all your bullets ricochet  
Shoot me down, but I get up

I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose  
Fire away, fire away  
Ricochet, you take your aim  
Fire away, fire away  
You shoot me down but I won't fall  
I am titanium  
You shoot me down but I won't fall  
I am titanium

The other members of New Directions joined in, making it clear to everyone else at the school that they were a united front, and they were through with letting anyone push any of them around.

Cut me down  
But it's you who'll have further to fall  
Ghost town and haunted love  
Raise your voice, sticks and stones may break my bones  
I'm talking loud not saying much

I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose  
Fire away, fire away  
Ricochet, you take your aim  
Fire away, fire away  
You shoot me down but I won't fall  
I am titanium  
You shoot me down but I won't fall  
I am titanium  
I am titanium  
I am titanium

Stone-heart, machine gun  
Firing at the ones who run  
Stone heart loves bulletproof glass

You shoot me down but I won't fall  
I am titanium  
You shoot me down but I won't fall  
I am titanium  
You shoot me down but I won't fall  
I am titanium  
You shoot me down but I won't fall  
I am titanium  
I am titanium


	11. Birthday Cake

Blaine was on a mission; find the perfect birthday present for his boyfriend. But how could he top Lady Gaga? He sighed in frustration. Granted, he still had a few days until Kurt's birthday, but he couldn't think of anything that wasn't lame, or corny.

He was sitting in the common room at Dalton that afternoon, making yet another list of ideas. Nick and Jeff joined him.

"What are you working on?" Jeff asked, watching as the shorter boy scratched something out.

Blaine growled. "I'm trying to figure out what to give Kurt for his birthday. But what do you get a guy who will live forever and has relatives who can pretty much buy him the planet?"

"You know, Kurt doesn't seem to strike me as the kind to be concerned about how much you spend on him," Nick, stated. "I'm sure he'll like what ever you get him, simply because it comes from you."

"Yeah," Jeff added. "Besides, since when does it bother you that someone else has more money than you? It's not like your family is on welfare or anything. Your dad makes six figures a year, and your mother does almost as well."

Blaine groaned. "I know, but his family is worth billions. Billions, with a capital B! I was doing some research on the Argeneau family business, and even though Kurt only holds two shares, his annual dividend is more than twenty five million dollars."

Jeff whistled. "Whoa. No wonder he has such an amazing wardrobe. But other than clothes, he doesn't seem to have let the money go to his head the way a lot of the boys here at Dalton would, and have. I mean, we've seen the house he lives in. I know he doesn't like Lima much, and he plans to move to New York after he graduates high school, but I guarantee he won't be moving in to some penthouse apartment. At least not until he makes it big on Broadway."

Nick nodded. "He may be an Argeneau, but he's also Burt Hummel's son. That man would never allow his son to be anything but humble and kind. So, what's really bothering you?"

Blaine sighed and tossed the notebook down on the table. "I guess I still have issues to work out. I told you guys about Oliver. When he and I were dating, I would buy him presents, but he would always kind of scoff at them. He'd say things like 'oh how cute,' or 'you shouldn't have.' But the way he said it, you could tell he hated them. I just don't want to disappoint Kurt."

"Come on, Blaine, Kurt is nothing like Oliver. You know he'll love whatever you get him." Nick patted him on the back.

Jeff hugged him from the other side. "Yeah, he's nuts for you. So let's see what you've got on this list and we'll help you pick something out."

Blaine smiled at them and the three boys went over the list. After a few minutes of deliberation, Nick pointed to one of the items. "This is perfect! And we can help you with it. We can talk to Wes and get all the Warblers in on it."

"Yes, oh, and I know who else I want to help me with it too. It'll be perfect!"

…

With two weeks until Nationals, New Directions were busier than ever. Kurt hadn't even thought about his upcoming birthday, at least until he overheard Rachel and Finn talking about the surprise party they were planning for him Friday night.

After the Prom the week before, Burt, Carole, Kurt and Stephanie had sat down with Finn and talked with him about immortals. He had naturally been upset that they hadn't trusted him with the secret before, but had agreed that reading Stephanie's story had probably been the best way to ease him into their world.

The fact that his stepbrother was planning a surprise party for him, made him feel happy. It meant the boy wasn't going to make him feel guilty for not telling him sooner. He made a mental note to try really hard to act surprised when they sprung the party on him.

…

Friday seemed to go on forever. His alarm clock didn't go off that morning, so he over slept, which threw off his morning routine completely. He'd barely had a chance to have a bite of toast before he had to dash out the door to get to school. Halfway there he realized he hadn't had any blood that morning.

He would have made it to his first class on time, but he had to stop for coffee, which he then spilled on himself. He pulled into the parking lot, cursing repeatedly, running to get to his locker and the spare clothes he was still in the habit of leaving there for emergencies. At least he didn't have to scrub slushie out of his hair. He slipped into his seat fifteen minutes late, only to realizing he'd forgot to bring his homework to turn in.

By lunch he was jonesing for a caffeine fix and cramping from lack of blood. Mercedes noticed how cranky he was. "White boy, what is your problem?"

Kurt sighed, and explained the situation to her.

"So why don't you go out to your car and have a bag?"

Kurt sighed again. "Because I'm an idiot who forgot to restock the mini fridge."

His cousin, Bastien Argeneau, had designed a portable refrigerator that charged while your vehicle was running, but also had a solar panel for when the car was off. The fridge could hold a charge for almost fourteen hours during the night.

Mercedes sighed, pulling out her phone, sending off a quick text. "Come on, Kurt. I'll buy you lunch and get you some coffee. Stephanie will meet us at The Lima Bean with a couple bags for you."

Kurt sighed and allowed her to steer him out of the school. After a nice lunch, three bags of blood, and a grande non fat mocha, Kurt was feeling much better. "Thanks, 'Cedes. I really needed that. I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise party you all are planning for me this afternoon."

She laughed. "I kinda figured you knew something was up. Just act like you don't know what's going on, or Berry will have a conniption fit."

They got back to school just in time for their next class. Thankfully the last few classes were uneventful, and he finally made his way to the choir room for Glee, only to find a sign on the door directing him to the auditorium. He smiled, making his way to the auditorium.

He stopped outside the doors, took a breath, and put on his best bored expression, then slipped inside. He was surprised when he saw Wes and David standing there. They just smiled at him, and led him to a seat as they began to harmonize. It was only then that he noticed the other Warblers standing on stage, harmonizing with them.

It took him a minute to recognize the soft melody, and he smiled. And then Blaine appeared from behind the other boys and began to sing.

 

When the earth was still flat,

And the clouds made of fire,

And mountains stretched up to the sky,

Sometimes higher,

Folks roamed the earth

Like big rolling kegs.

They had two sets of arms.

They had two sets of legs.

They had two faces peering

Out of one giant head

So they could watch all around them

As they talked; while they read.

And they never knew nothing of love.

It was before the origin of love.

The origin of love

And there were three sexes then,

One that looked like two men

Glued up back to back,

Called the children of the sun.

 

From behind him, Kurt heard more voices join in, singing, and Santana and Brittany hugged him as they sang the next few lines.

 

And similar in shape and girth

Were the children of the earth.

They looked like two girls

Rolled up in one.

 

Stephanie and Artie joined in from his other side, singing a couple of lines.

 

And the children of the moon

Were like a fork shoved on a spoon.

They were part sun, part earth

Part daughter, part son.

The origin of love

 

The rest of New Directions came out on stage and joined in, harmonizing with the Warblers as Blaine continued to sing.

 

Now the gods grew quite scared

Of our strength and defiance

And Thor said,

"I'm gonna kill them all

With my hammer,

Like I killed the giants."

And Zeus said, "No,

You better let me

Use my lightening, like scissors,

Like I cut the legs off the whales

And dinosaurs into lizards."

Then he grabbed up some bolts

And he let out a laugh,

Said, "I'll split them right down the middle.

Gonna cut them right up in half."

And then storm clouds gathered above

Into great balls of fire

 

Santana and Stephanie joined him for the next part.

 

And then fire shot down

From the sky in bolts

Like shining blades

Of a knife.

And it ripped

Right through the flesh

Of the children of the sun

And the moon

And the earth.

And some Indian god

Sewed the wound up into a hole,

Pulled it round to our belly

To remind us of the price we pay.

And Osiris and the gods of the Nile

Gathered up a big storm

Artie and Brittany joined in now, too.

To blow a hurricane,

To scatter us away,

In a flood of wind and rain,

And a sea of tidal waves,

To wash us all away,

And if we don't behave

They'll cut us down again

And we'll be hopping round on one foot

And looking through one eye.

 

Blaine pulled Kurt up on stage with him, singing directly to him as the music faded for a moment.

 

Last time I saw you

We had just split in two.

You were looking at me.

I was looking at you.

You had a way so familiar,

But I could not recognize,

Cause you had blood on your face;

I had blood in my eyes.

But I could swear by your expression

That the pain down in your soul

Was the same as the one down in mine.

 

The others began harmonizing once more, and Santana sang echo as Blaine finished off the song.

 

That's the pain,

Cuts a straight line

Down through the heart;

We called it love.

So we wrapped our arms around each other,

Trying to shove ourselves back together.

We were making love,

Making love.

It was a cold dark evening,

Such a long time ago,

When by the mighty hand of Jove,

It was the sad story

How we became

Lonely two-legged creatures,

It's the story of

The origin of love.

That's the origin of love

 

Kurt hugged him, tight. "I love you."

Blaine pulled back a little, smiling at him as he pulled something from his pocket. "I love you too. Now, don't get too excited, this isn't an engagement ring."

Kurt looked shocked as the shorter boy held out a ring to him. Blaine just smiled wider. "Kurt, you are my other half, my missing puzzle piece, my lifemate. This ring is my promise to you that I will always be there at your side, to hold you when you need comfort, to advise you when you are confused, and to be your strength when things get too hard to bare. I promise to be what you need when you need it. And I promise that when I need comfort, advise, and strength, you will be the one I turn to. I love you, forever."

"It's perfect," Kurt said as the other boy slid the ring on to his finger. It was made of platinum accentuated with onyx, and had the sign for infinity interwoven with a vine design. The others all cheered as they hugged again.

"Happy Birthday, Kurt!" Several voices shouted, and Mr. Schue pushed a cart out on stage with a birthday cake on it, while Ms. Pillsbury passed out punch. Kurt enjoyed being surrounded by his friends, happy that New Directions and the Warblers were getting along so well.

He and Blaine were sitting at the piano, eating cake (lemon, Kurt's favorite,) watching their friends interacting. Neither of them noticed Quinn slip up to them from behind, until she spoke softly. "So, lifemates, huh? Like the immortals in your cousin's books? Something you haven't told us, Kurt Argeneau Hummel?"

He spun to face her, eyes wide. "Uh, what are you talking about?"

"Relax, I'm not going to tell anyone. I actually figured it out last year. I started reading A Quick Bite just before Beth was born, and finished off most of the series by the end of the school year. When Stephanie arrived, I recognized her from the books."

"You've known for almost a year?" Kurt asked in shock, wondering how Stephanie hadn't picked that up from the girl's thoughts. As if on cue, Stephanie and Artie came over to talk to them. Kurt looked at his cousin. "Did you know Quinn knew about us?"

Stephanie looked at him, confused. "She does? I never realized." She looked at the blonde girl. "You are harder to read than most people. I actually have to focus on you if I want to know what is on your mind, and since I don't really want to intrude on your thoughts, I usually don't bother."

"What does that mean, I'm hard to read?" The blonde asked, curiously.

Kurt smiled at her. "It means you are strong willed, and have some natural mental shielding that you probably aren't even aware of."

She nodded her head, a pleased smile on her face. "I'm guessing Artie knows. Does anyone else?"

Kurt nodded. "Artie is Stephanie's lifemate. Mercedes knows, so do Tina, Mike, Sam, Finn and a few of the Warblers."

"Wow, I'm surprised your relatives allowed you to tell so many people. Especially that Lucian guy. He sounds scary."

Kurt laughed. "He can be intimidating, but he's not all bad. But the truth is, I'm not allowed to tell anyone, but if people I trust find out, I have been given permission to let them keep the secret. I hate not being able to tell everyone. I'm glad you figured it out on your own. One less person I have to pretend around."

She smiled and hugged him. "I'm glad, too. I'm sure the others will figure it out sometime soon, too. They all care about you, you know. Some of them may have a hard time showing it, but we're all family in here."

"Thanks, Quinn."

The party wound down, and the Warblers bid their farewells. Wes called out, "Good luck at Nationals! Kick some Vocal Adrenaline butt for us!"

Blaine followed Kurt home, as he would be spending the weekend. As they sat beside each other on the couch, watching a movie, Kurt lay his head on the other boy's shoulder, sighing in content. "Best Birthday ever."


	12. Nationals, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marguerite is back! Oh, and Chris Keys (Poor CK!) Chris is a coworker of Kate's, has no clue immortals exist, and has possibly the worst luck of any being on the planet. (He's also based on an actual person who is friends with Lynsay Sands.)

"What do you mean, canceled? No, I most certainly did not cancel those reservations!"

"Who is Mr. Schue talking to?" Tina asked, slipping in to a seat behind Kurt as New Directions met on Thursday, the day before they were to fly to New York for Nationals.

"The hotel we're supposed to stay at. He was calling to confirm the reservations, but it seems someone has canceled them." Kurt replied, frowning. With his preternatural hearing he could hear both sides of the conversation. Apparently someone had called the night before stating that they wouldn't be needing the six reserved rooms after all. Mr. Schue was trying desperately to re-book them, but apparently the hotel had nothing else available.

By the time the rest of the group had arrived, Mr. Schue had finished his conversation with the unhelpful receptionist and hung up. He had barely put his phone away in his pocket before it chimed an incoming text. He pulled it back out, and began swearing under his breath. He began to dial furiously as he walked in to his office.

Even through the mostly closed door, Kurt was able to hear what was going on. Someone had canceled their airline tickets, as well. It didn't take a genius to figure out the culprit, either. Sue Sylvester had it in for the Glee Club.

Kurt pulled out his cell phone and fired off a quick text. Three minutes later his phone rang.

"Hello? Bastien?" He quietly explained the situation to his cousin. After listening to the older immortal's response, Kurt smiled. "Thanks, Bastien! You're a life saver!"

He hung up the phone just as Mr. Schue stepped out of his office. "Guys, I'm afraid I have some bad news."

"Mr. Schue," Kurt interrupted. "Before you continue, my cousin Bastien has arranged a private plane for us for tomorrow morning, and has made his home available to us. He has several guest rooms. He's having the kitchen stocked as we speak. He's also arranged transportation to and from the airport and the competition."

Everyone but Stephanie and Artie was looking at him in awe. Mr. Schue was speechless. After a moment the older male spluttered. "Kurt, wow, I guess you overheard my phone conversation? I don't know how..."

Kurt just shrugged and smiled. "I only overheard part of it, but it was easy to figure out what was happening. I knew my cousin Bastien had room for all of us. And the Argeneau's always have at least one plane on standby at all times for business. He was happy to help out, and said if there was anything else we needed to simply ask."

Mr. Schue smiled. "Well then, I guess we leave for Nationals tomorrow morning!"

The others cheered.

"Way to go, Lady Lips." Santana said with a smirk.

"Yeah, princess," Puck added. "Nice save."

Another voice spoke from the doorway. "What's up with all the cheering in here? I expected to hear the sounds of all the whos in whoville sobbing that there would be no joy in New York."

Kurt smirked. "Sorry to disappoint you, Coach Sylvester, but my cousin Bastien, who lives in New York, has made alternate arrangements, despite someone's attempt to sabotage us."

"Well, Porcelain, I have no clue what you are talking about. I merely asked Becky to call the hotel and airport and make certain that a certain sweater vest clad, butter headed, butt chinned person was stopped before he could kidnap fourteen innocent, impressionable teenagers with unattainable aspersions of breaking in to the hardest career field known to man."

Kurt glared at his former cheer coach. "Yes, well, as you can see we're all just heart broken. Boohoo and all that."

The tall woman just glared at them before turning and walking away.

…

It was bittersweet that evening as Kurt packed his bags. He had his cell phone pressed to his ear, talking to Blaine as he laid out his clothes.

"I really wish you could come with us," he said, trying to keep the whine out of his voice but failing.

He could hear Blaine's smile over the phone. "I know, I wish I could go too. Especially since tomorrow is a half day at Dalton, and you'll be back Sunday night, so I wouldn't miss my last exam before summer vacation."

"Summer vacation can't come too soon. I'm going nuts not seeing you everyday."

"It's just one more week, Kurt, and then we'll have all summer together."

Kurt sighed. "Yeah, and then school starts, and we'll be separated again." He didn't even want to think about what would happen after the end of next year. He would be a Senior, but Blaine was still only a Junior because he missed most of his freshman year and had to repeat it. "Can we change the subject? I'm getting depressed."

They spent the next hour talking about the latest issue of Vogue, until Carole called out that dinner was ready. They said their good-nights, and Kurt moped down the stairs. He barely picked at his food.

"Come on, kiddo," Burt said. "I know it's rough being away from your lifemate so much, but you gotta eat. You'll be spending almost every minute with Blaine this summer, and maybe when the new school year comes around we can figure out someway for you two to have more time together."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Are you boys finished packing?" Carole asked.

Kurt nodded. "Everything but my travel bag, which I'll pack first thing in the morning."

Finn just shrugged, and Kurt vowed to go through his stepbrother's bag and make sure things were neatly folded and that he'd remembered the essentials, such as clean underwear, deodorant, and appropriate shirts.

"So what's the plan for tomorrow morning?" Burt asked.

"Well, either you or Carole will have to drop Finn and me off at the school at seven. Bastien made arrangements for us to be picked up from there and driven to the airport. We'll fly out at about nine, and land around ten. From there we'll be driven to Bastien's new place near Central Park. He and Terri will be staying at the Penthouse, along with Lucern and Kate, although Marguerite and Kate's coworker, Chris Keys will be staying at the house with us."

"Dude, will there be enough room for all of us?" Finn asked.

"Of course, Finn. And don't call me dude. The house has twelve guest rooms. Chris is actually staying in the pool house."

"Sounds exciting," Carole said, smiling at him. "I wish we could be there to cheer you on, but I know with Marguerite there you won't be lacking in that department."

They finished eating, and Kurt helped Finn finish his packing. After he finished getting ready for bed, he sent a quick text to Blaine.

Love you-K xoxo

The reply was almost immediate.

Love you too-B xoxoxo

Kurt smiled, and went to sleep.

…

They got some looks from the other McKinley students when three limos and a van pulled up in front of the main building the next morning, but Kurt just ignored them all. He passed his luggage over to the driver, who indicated for him to get into the first limo.

He slipped into the car, and almost screamed in shock when he saw who was sitting there. "Blaine! Oh my Gaga, what are you doing here?"

The shorter boy laughed and pulled him into a hug. "Well, when your aunt called me last night and asked if I would like to join you for the weekend, I didn't hesitate to say yes."

"Okay, lover boys, make some room!" Mercedes teased. They moved to the side seat, making room for her, Stephanie, and Artie to join them. The rest of New Directions, including Mr. Schuester, divided between the other two limos, while the luggage and Artie's chair were stored in the van.

They all laughed and chatted as they nibbled on the fruit and cheese tray that had been provided for them, along with orange juice and pastries. By the time they arrived at the air port and made their way to the back where the private planes were housed, they were all in a good mood. Two Gulfstream aircraft sat on the tarmac, waiting for them.

Chad approached their limo as the others spilled out of the vehicles. "Good morning, Mr. Abrams, it's good to see you again." He carried the boy on to the plane as the luggage was divided between the two planes, and Artie's chair was stowed in the cabin of the closer vessel.

Another young man in an attendant's uniform approached them. "Good morning, my name is Alan. Since there isn't room for all of you on one plane, we've taken the liberty of dividing you between the two. So, Mr. Hummel, Mr. Anderson, Miss McGill, Miss Jones, Miss Fabray, Miss Cohen-Change, Mr. Hudson, Mr. Evans and Mr. Change will join Mr. Abrams on the first plane. The rest of you will be on the second. If you will all take your seats, we'll be off. The first plane is scheduled to depart in ten minutes. The second should be five minutes behind that."

They divided into their respective planes and settled in. Kurt wasn't surprised that everyone on the first plane knew about immortals. Once they had settled in and the plane had taken off, Chad had appeared in the cabin with drinks and snacks for everyone, and bags of blood for Kurt, Blaine, and Stephanie. The others began telling the stories about how they had learned about immortals. Everyone laughed when Mike told them about finding Stephanie in the closet with Mercedes. Blaine then had them all rolling around laughing when he told them about Wes and David's closet adventure.

Time seemed to fly (pun intended) by fast, and before they knew it, they were landing in New York. They all oohed and ahhed when they got their first look at the Statue of Liberty. Chad helped Artie into his chair once they were on the tarmac, and shortly there after the second plane pulled up beside them.

"Dude, Hummel, do you have any female cousins I could marry? I could get used to this kind of lifestyle." Puck teased the moment he disembarked.

"I have dozens of female cousins, but most of them are either attached, or way to old for you." Kurt said.

"So? I like older women."

Kurt just shook his head and turned away. He noticed Santana and Brittany flirting with Alan, who was politely ignoring them. "Satan, Britt, leave the nice man alone, the limos are here!"

"Kurt, I really wish I was related to you," Tina said. "I never thought I'd ever ride in a limo. And the fruit and cheese plate and pastries were delicious! If this keeps up, this weekend is going to spoil me for the road trip with my parents this summer."

They once again split up into three limos and drove to the Argeneau estate. And Estate was the only word to describe it. The place was HUGE. The large stone edifice looked like a castle, complete with turrets.

They were greeted at the door by Aunt Marguerite. "Kurt, darling, it's so good to see you again. And Blaine, so glad you could come. Stephanie, my, you look amazing! When did you dye your hair red? It suits you! And of course, Arthur, it's good to see you again, dear! Finn, sweetie, how is your mother?"

She greeted each of them with a hug. They introduced her to the rest of New Directions, and she welcomed them warmly. Just as she was about to lead them to their rooms, a man appeared through the door from the Kitchen.

"Oh, Chris, darling, come meet The New Directions. They are competing in a show choir competition this weekend. Chris is staying here while his apartment is painted."

The man, who was in his mid thirties, smiled at them. "Hi everyone! Call me, CK."

Quinn was fighting to stifle a giggle. "CK? Luc Amerault mentioned you in a couple of his books!"

The man had a chagrined look on his face, but laughed. "Yes, well, that was his revenge on me for taunting him about Kate. For a guy who writes paranormal romance, the man has no game whatsoever."

"So, a toilet didn't fall on you and break your leg?" Lauren asked.

Now the poor guy was blushing. "Yes, well, that did happen. And yes, I did get stung by a bee and go into anaphylactic shock, and I did get food poisoning. But the rest of it was made up."

"Dude, you sound like some kind of jinx." Puck said. The older man huffed and excused himself.

…

After they were shown to their rooms and unpacked their luggage, they had lunch catered in, and then were allowed to do some sightseeing.

"Enjoy yourselves," Aunt Marguerite said as they headed out. "I'll be out until late tonight, I have an engagement party to attend. Oh, I almost forgot, Bastien asked me to give these to you. They are Visa gift cards, one for each of you, in case there is anything you need or want this weekend."

"Um, Thank you, Mrs. Argeneau-Notte," Mr. Schue began, but was interrupted.

"Please, call me Aunt Marguerite. And don't bother trying to refuse. You are our guests, and it's not like we can't afford to make all these lovely young people happy. Let us spoil them a little while they are here! And you too, of course." She held a card out to the choir director. After a hesitation, he accepted graciously.

...

Kurt noticed Finn and Rachel seemed to be arguing a lot during their outing. He hoped the two worked things out before the competition. Rachel was a pain-in-the-ass-spotlight-hogging-diva, but she was good for his stepbrother, constantly pushing him to be his best.

He was distracted from his thoughts by his lifemate pulling him into a dark alcove. "I want to kiss you so bad right now, the only thing stopping me is the thought of taking it too far and passing out here on the street."

Kurt grinned at the shorter boy. "MMM, did you know the guestrooms are sound proof? I'm suddenly feeling really tired, aren't you?"

"Oh yeah, exhausted. Shall we head back to your cousin's home?"

"Let's go!"

Unbeknownst to the two, another couple had spotted them slipping off and had decided to follow.

They got back to the estate, and barely made it inside before the temptation became too much, and they were kissing. It had been weeks since they'd had a shared dream, and longer since they had been intimate. The shared lifemate pleasure slammed into them hard and fast, and they were stumbling their way down the hall towards the room they were sharing, stopping every two steps to kiss and touch.

They made it to their door, but no further as they were grinding against each other, desperately pulling at each other's shirts, but the sensations were too much. Pleasure overwhelmed them, and they were sinking in to oblivion, passed out on the floor outside their door.

…

That was how Puck and Lauren found them three minutes later.

"What the hell? I've heard of falling into an exhausted sleep after sex, but they didn't even make it to the main event!" Puck stated. "Though from the look of them, they definitely enjoyed the effort."

Lauren just shook her head. "Help me carry them in to their room. They'll be out for a while."

"How do you know?" The Mohawked boy asked.

"I read it somewhere. Come on, don't just stand there. Grab the hobbit. I've got the skinny one." They carried the two mostly still dressed boys to the bed, removing their shoes. Then the large girl began to search the room, finding the mini fridge hidden in the large walk in closet. "Ah ha!"

"What? Did you find Jimmy Hoffa?"

"Nope, blood."

"What?" Puck cried out, sounding slightly girly.

"Relax, Puckerman! It's bagged. They'll probably want some when they wake up."

The muscular Jewish boy looked at his girlfriend in confusion as she emerged from the closet with two bags of A+ blood. "What the hell?"

Before the girl could reply, a sound came from the bed. They both turned to see Kurt sitting up, a dopey grin on his face. The grin faded as he spotted the two mortals in his room. And then he noticed the blood in the larger girl's hand.

"Uh, I can explain?" His voice sounded higher than usual, and his words came out more of a question than a statement.

The girl just shrugged and handed him the two bags. "I think Luc Amerault explained it fairly well. I just have one question."

Kurt took the bags of blood and looked at her with a quirked eyebrow. "That Justin Bricker fellow, does he have a lifemate yet? He sounds H.O.T."

"What?" Puck growled out, suddenly jealous, and oblivious of what was going on.

Kurt just laughed. "As far as I know, he hasn't found his lifemate yet, but I could be wrong."

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Puck demanded. Kurt just shrugged, opened his mouth, letting his fangs slide down, and bit into one of the bags of blood. Puck's eyes had gone comically wide, and Lauren was patting his back, explaining immortals to him.

Kurt was half finished with his bag of blood when Blaine began to stir. The shorter boy was a bit disoriented as he sat up, not certain how he had gotten to the bed, or why there were two people in the room besides Kurt and himself. He saw Kurt calmly feeding, and accepted the bag of blood he offered with a shrug.

If Kurt wasn't worried, then he wouldn't worry either, and he popped the bag to his own fangs. Puck still had a look on his face that said he had just walked into an episode of the Twilight Zone. Kurt finished the bag and tossed the empty on to the side table to be disposed of later.

Puck managed to regain his voice. "So, uh, which of you turned the other? Cause if preppy forced himself on you at that fancy boarding school, I'm going to have to stake his ass."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "First off, I was born immortal. And second, a stake wouldn't kill us. At least not if it was removed in time. The nanos would repair the damage as soon as the stake was removed. Same with a bullet or knife. And third, Blaine is my lifemate. You hurt him and I'll hurt you."

"Nanos? You mean those microscopic robots they keep talking about in those sci fi shows?"

Kurt sighed. "Yes. Several millennia ago, scientists from Atlantis created nanos to help repair injuries and heal diseases. My great grandparents, Ramses and Alexandria, were among the patients the nanos were used on originally."

The taller boy seemed even more confused. "Atlantis? Wasn't there a TV show a long time ago about a guy from there?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "The people from Atlantis are just regular humans. They don't have gills or webbed feet. The only difference between you and me are the nanos in my blood. I'm human, just like you. I'm just healthier and will live a lot longer."

"So, your Aunt Marguerite is like thousands of years old?"

"No, Aunt Marguerite was born mortal. She was turned by my Uncle Jean Claude a little more than seven hundred years ago."

Lauren snorted. "Jean Claude was a bastard. No offense."

"None taken. You are absolutely correct. The best thing he ever did for Aunt Marguerite and his family was die in that fire. Though he wasn't solely responsible for what happened. Have you read Vampire Interrupted yet?"

"I just started it." Lauren looked embarrassed to admit it.

Kurt shrugged. "Well, I won't spoil the ending for you, then. Let's just say that things could have turned out much happier, but everything worked out for the best. Oh, minor spoiler alert, but Stephanie is one of us too. You'll find out more about her a couple books down the line."

"Noted." She acknowledged.

Puck had listened to the exchange, still with a puzzled expression on his face. "So what was up with you two passing out in the hallway?"

Kurt blushed. "It's a lifemate thing," was his only response.

"What's a lifemate?" The other boy persisted. Lauren grabbed his arm and started pulling him towards the door, saying she'd explain everything to him later.

"Let's give them some privacy for now." She paused in the doorway to look at them once more. "The others will be back in about forty five minutes to change for dinner. Your Cousin made reservations for us at Serendipity."

Kurt smiled at the girl, and watched the door close behind them. "Well, that just leaves three more. Santana, Brittany, and Rachel."

"What about Mr. Schue? And Karofsky?"

Kurt hadn't thought about them. And what about Ms. Pillsbury or Coach Beiste? Could he trust Sue Sylvester with his secret?

"What about the rest of the Warblers?" He countered.

They sat there in silence for several minutes, lost in thought. Just who all could they trust with this? The number of people who knew about them already was shocking. Would Lima, Ohio, turn into another Port Henry, Ontario? From what Teddy had told them, almost half the town not only knew about immortals, but willingly donated blood on a regular basis just to keep them fed.

Kurt knew that most of the residents in Lima would probably come after him and his dad with torches and pitchforks if they found out. He trusted his friends, knew they would never betray him, but what would happen if one of them accidentally said something at the wrong time and place, and the secret got out?

Should he call Uncle Lucien and have him wipe the information from all of their minds? What about Finn? Would he be allowed to keep the knowledge since his mom was now one of them? And could he go back to hiding his true self from the people in his life?


	13. Nationals, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally get to meet Bastien Argeneau and his lifemate, Terri (Who is named after the Author's sister.) Also a surprise guest (from Cannon, to give you all a hint) makes an appearance!

Kurt was subdued when they arrived at Serendipity later that night. Mercedes noticed his mood and pulled him aside before they could enter the restaurant. "What's wrong, white boy?"

Kurt sighed, but couldn't look at her. "I think I made a mistake, 'Cedes."

"Care to elaborate?"

He was silent for a moment, considering his response. "Puck and Lauren found out about us today."

"Well, that's good, isn't it? That just leave Rachel, Santana, and Brittany."

Kurt shook his head. "And Mr. Schue, and Ms. Pillsbury, Coach Beiste, Sue, the kids in the band, The Warblers. Where does it stop? I know none of you would deliberately betray me, but what if someone accidentally slips up at the wrong time? Most of the kids at school already hate me because I'm gay. What would they do if they found out I'm also immortal?"

Mercedes studied him for a moment. "So, what? You want to make us all forget now?"

"No! I don't know, maybe? Wouldn't it be easier for everyone, even you, if you didn't have to worry about keeping this secret?"

"And what about you? It was eating you up inside keeping it from all of us. If you decide to make us forget, I won't hold it against you, not that I'd remember anyway. But just think about it first. You know you can trust us."

Kurt hugged her. "I love you."

"I love you too, Boo. Now let's go eat. I've always wanted to try the frozen hot chocolate here!"

They both laughed and went inside to join the others. Kurt was surprised to see Bastien sitting with his friends. "Ah, Kurt, there you are. We were beginning to think you two ran away together or something." The older immortal teased.

"Bastien, I didn't know you were going to be here." Other than Thomas, Bastien was the cousin he knew the most about, as the older man was researching why Burt Hummel still looked to be around forty-five, while every other immortal looked to be between twenty-five and thirty. He smiled at the pretty woman beside his cousin. "Terri! That outfit is fabulous! I really hope we'll have the chance to do some shopping while we're here!"

Their waiter arrived to take their orders. While everyone else was engaged in conversation, Blaine smiled and leaned in to him. "Everything okay?"

Kurt nodded, and whispered that they'd talk about it later. He was listening to the conversations around them. Finn and Rachel were having a whispered disagreement. His stepbrother was upset that now that he'd realized exactly how he felt about her, she was brushing him off for an uncertain future here in New York. He could see that both of them had good points, and vowed to talk to them tomorrow before the competition.

Further down the table, Mr. Schue was telling Bastien and Terri about Sue' endeavors to end the arts in school. Bastien promised him that he'd do everything he could to see that that didn't happen. Kurt recalled that Aunt Marguerite loved to play the piano, and had taught all of her children, and many of her nieces and nephews how to play. It had been Marguerite's influence that had prompted Thomas to begin composing, and Vincent's love of musical theater. Kurt then recalled that it had been Aunt Marguerite that had taught his Mother to sing and play piano, which had inspired Kurt's own love of music.

Brittany was telling Stephanie about her latest troubles with her cat, Lord Tubbington. Kurt knew that if Brittany were to ever learn his secret, she'd probably be the one who'd accidentally say something she shouldn't. But would anyone believe her? She spouted the most outrageous things all the time, and no one really paid any attention to her anymore. But the girl also said some of the most intelligent things he had ever heard.

Stephanie once told him what it was like inside that girl's mind. She'd described it as going to Disneyland while tripping on LSD in a rainstorm. "There's no room for any unhappy thoughts in her mind. Nothing scary exists, the world is pure and bright and rainbows. I have no idea what the numbers mean, but they are always streaming through her mind in complex calculations."

He noticed Bastien studying the blonde girl a few times throughout the meal as well, an appraising look on his face. After they finished dinner and ordered dessert, Bastien asked him to step outside for a few minutes.

Curious what Bastien might have to say, he followed the older man outside. The man looked at him for a moment before he spoke. "That girl, Brittany? How well do you know her?"

Kurt shrugged. "I've known her since Kindergarten. She's always been a little different than everyone else. She's sweet, and possibly the most honest person I know."

"Did you know that she's always known about nanos?"

Kurt looked shocked. "I didn't know. Does she know about us?"

The older man shook his head no. "Not exactly. But those calculations in her head, I've seen them before, from the scientists I have trying to recreate the original experiments with the nanos. She doesn't even seem to know what they mean. To her they are just random numbers. I don't know what to think about her. I'd like to offer her a job after she graduates."

Kurt once more looked stunned. Bastien watched him for a moment, and then continued speaking. "I know you've been questioning whether letting your friends find out about you has been the right decision. Lucian knew what he was doing when he told you not to tell anyone, Kurt. But allowing your friends to discover for themselves gives them the opportunity to prove to you that they are worthy of being your friend, and proves to them that you trust them enough to be yourself around them. I know that if something happened and the secret got out to someone outside your group of friends, you will be able to handle it."

Kurt breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Bas. I really appreciate the vote of confidence."

Bastien hugged him, and the two went back inside, Kurt feeling a thousand times better than he had when he'd arrived.

They got back to the table just as their desserts arrived. They all laughed and shared their treats, commenting on which were the best.

"Oh my god!" He heard Rachel hiss from the other end of the table. "It's Patti LuPone!"

They all glanced up as the legend walked towards them. Terri smiled and waved at the woman. "Patti! What a wonderful surprise!"

Fifteen people all went silent, jaws dropped as the famous singer hugged the petite woman. "Terri! Bastien! It's so good to see you again. How is your mother, Dear?" She asked the older male.

Bastien smiled and kissed her cheek. "Mother is mother, as always."

The woman laughed at his response. "Well, tell her I said thank you for the flowers she sent. My niece loved them! Now, who are these lovely young people?"

"Well, the handsome auburn haired one is my cousin, Kurt, and the others are his friends from Ohio. They are here for a show choir competition tomorrow." He introduced each of them. Mr. Schue stood and shook her hand as he was introduced. "And last, but certainly not least is Miss Rachel Berry. I've been told she is a huge fan of yours."

"Ms. LuPone!" Rachel squeaked. "It's an honor to meet you. No one will ever surpass your performance of Evita."

"Thank you, Rachel. Such a beautiful girl! I expect to see you on Broadway some day, child."

Rachel looked like she would faint at the praise.

…

Saturday dawned clear and bright. Kurt was the first one up, and after whispering his intentions to a sleepy Blaine, he dressed, and went to wake Rachel up, telling her he had something to talk with her about.

"Where are you taking me?" She asked, half an hour later as they slipped into the town car his cousin had provided. He smiled as the driver pulled out of the drive, having already been notified of their destination.

"You'll see."

They pulled up in front of a bakery and bought bagels and coffee, and then walked up the block to a famous New York Landmark to eat. "There, now you can proclaim you've had breakfast at Tiffany's."

The girl laughed and smiled. "The bagels here taste so much better."

"It's the water. So, what is going on with you and Finn?"

She sighed. "I told him that I really need to focus on my dream of moving here one day. I will be on Broadway. It's my destiny."

Kurt nodded. "I agree, though if you tell anyone I said so I will deny it for the rest of my life." He nudged her with his elbow as she laughed. "But, wouldn't it be better to share that dream with someone you love? Someone who loves you?"

She was silent as she considered his words. He took her arm. "Come on, there is somewhere else I want to take you."

…

"What do you two think you are doing? The theater is closed now. You shouldn't be in here!"

They stopped and turned to the large man who caught them sneaking into the Gershwin Theater. Rachel began to ramble, and Kurt was about to take control of the man and make him forget about them, but it proved unnecessary.

"Let me guess, you two are from some small town in Iowa and dream about performing on a real Broadway stage."

"Ohio, actually," Kurt corrected.

"Fifteen minutes, and then you need to clear out." The hulk of a man said, turning his back on them. He was muttering under his breath as he walked away. Kurt and Rachel looked at each other, and grinned, racing up on stage.

They both looked around with awe. They both new this was where they belonged. "Can you hear it?" He asked.

"What?"

"The Music. Sing, Rachel."

She smiled, and looked out at the empty theater, and suddenly she could see the crowds waiting to hear the song coming from deep within her.

Rachel:  
I'm limited  
Just look at me  
I'm limited  
And just look at you  
You can do all I couldn't do, Glinda

So now it's up to you  
For both of us  
Now it's up to you

Kurt:  
I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason  
Bringing something we must learn  
And we are led to those who help us most to grow  
If we let them, and we help them in return  
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true  
But I know I'm who I am today because I knew you

Like a comet pulled from orbit as it passes a sun  
Like a stream that meets a boulder halfway through the wood  
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?  
Because I knew you  
I have been changed for good

Rachel:  
It well may be that we will never meet again in this lifetime  
So let me say before we part  
So much of me is made from what I learned from you  
You'll be with me like a handprint on my heart  
And now whatever way our stories end  
I know you have rewritten mine by being my friend

Like a ship blown from its mooring by a wind off the sea  
Like a seed dropped by a skybird in a distant wood  
Who can say if I've been changed for the better  
But because I knew you

Kurt:  
Because I knew you

Kurt and Rachel:  
I have been changed for good

Rachel:  
And just to clear the air  
I ask forgiveness for the things I've done you blame me for

Kurt:  
But then I guess we know there's blame to share

Kurt and Rachel:  
And none of it seems to matter anymore

Kurt (Rachel):  
Like a comet pulled from orbit (Like a ship blown from its mooring)  
As it passes a sun (By a wind off the sea)  
Like a stream that meets a boulder (Like a seed dropped by a bird)  
Halfway through the wood (In the wood)

Kurt and Rachel:  
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?  
I do believe I have been changed for the better

Kurt:  
And because I knew you

Rachel:  
Because I knew you

Kurt and Rachel:  
Because I knew you  
I have been changed for good

As the song came to an end, Kurt smiled at his friend. "How do you feel?"

She smiled in return. "Amazing! Better than I've ever felt in my life!"

"Now, imagine that as you finish the performance, you look in to the wings and Finn is standing there, love shining in his eyes. How much more intense would this feeling be?"

Rachel hugged him. "Thank you, Kurt. How did you get so smart?"

He hugged her back. "You won't live forever, Rachel. You shouldn't give up on something now that can make you happy, for something you don't have yet. You'll make it on Broadway, and Finn will be by your side the entire way."

"I really need to apologize to him."

"Yes, you do. You are really good for him, too, you know. He's so much better when you are there with him."

…

In hind sight, he thought perhaps he should have waited until after the competition to have his talk with the diva. She and his stepbrother made up, but their timing could not have been worse. After their make out session, on stage, in front of the audience, and judges, New Directions failed to place. To say tension were high that evening was an understatement.

Santana nearly went ballistic on the couple. After a while everyone calmed down. Marguerite suggested that since it was still early evening they do something fun, and sent them off to Coney Island. They broke up in to two groups as the sun set, and Kurt, Blaine, Finn, Rachel, Stephanie, Artie, Puck and Lauren all ended up hanging out together, playing games and were enjoying themselves, while the others went on the rides.

Kurt had won a giant stuffed dog and presented it to his lifemate, who accepted it with the enthusiasm of a toddler. Lauren had won a stuffed shark for Puck, and he had bought her a tiara. Finn won a small bear for Rachel, and Stephanie and Artie had worked together to win a stuffed alligator.

They were laughing and sharing a large bag of salt water taffy, when out of no where, five large men sprang out in front of them, all brandishing knives.

"Give us your wallets, purses, and jewelry!" The man in the center demanded.

Kurt and Stephanie exchanged a look, each taking control of one of thugs. But they could only concentrate on one at a time. Blaine was too stunned to react right away, but when he realized what Kurt and Stephanie had done, He began to concentrate on one of the other men. Unfortunately, their leader didn't take kindly to being ignored.

"Hand them over, now!" And to emphasize his demand, he swung his blade towards Rachel. Kurt didn't even hesitate, stepping in front of the short girl. The knife caught him in the side, slipping in a good two inches.

The pale boy let out a grunt of pain, and slipped down to the ground. The men ran off at the sight of the blood. Kurt heard Rachel's scream, but it was cut off by Finn's hand covering her face. Kurt heard Blaine's worried voice and felt himself being lifted, but the pain was unbearable, and he passed out.


	14. Blood Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How does Rachel handle the news that Kurt isn't what she thought he was?

Blaine carried an unconscious Kurt into the back room of a store that had already closed for the night. Stephanie had determined the building was empty, and Puck had disarmed the alarm and picked the lock. Artie had remained in the alleyway to text Mercedes and let her know what had happened. Rachel was still protesting that Lauren, who stood guard by the door, had stolen her phone when she had attempted to call 911. "What the hell are you guys doing? He needs an ambulance! Can't you see he's bleeding? Blaine! He's your boyfriend! Don't you care? Finn, why are you not upse-"

Her voice was cut off suddenly when Stephanie turned to her and took control of her body. "I'm sorry, Rachel, no time to explain right now. Sit down and be quiet. I need to help Kurt, but Blaine is too distracted right now to control you, so I need you to promise you won't scream, or otherwise get in our way."

"It's okay, Rach," Finn said. "Just please, stay right there for a few minutes and let us help Kurt."

The girl was clearly upset, and couldn't understand why she couldn't speak, or why she had walked over to a folding chair and sat down. And what did that girl mean, control her? Stephanie was still looking at Rachel, keeping her under control as she spoke to Finn. "Kurt needs blood. I can keep you from feeling any pain while he feeds, but someone needs to make sure Rachel doesn't interfere."

"I'm on it." Lauren said, moving to stand behind the other girl, while Puck moved to the door to keep watch.

Stephanie finally turned to look at Finn. "Are you okay with this?"

The tall teen looked down at his stepbrother, who was even paler than usual. The truth was he was scared to death, but he couldn't let the other boy suffer. "What do I have to do?"

Stephanie lead him over and sat him down beside Kurt, across from Blaine, who had tears streaming down his face. She sat by Kurt's head, and prodded his mouth, not feeling his fangs. "Damn, you couldn't make this easy, could you?" She muttered.

She reached out and removed the brooch from Kurt's vest, and took Finn's hand. She quickly slipped into the boy's mind, making certain he wouldn't feel any pain, and then jabbed his finger with the pin. A small bead of blood welled up, and she ran the finger under Kurt's nose.

"What are you doing? What's going on?" Rachel protested, even as Lauren held her down in the chair. "Finn? What is...Oh my God!"

Kurt had inhaled the scent of blood, and his fangs had sprang forward. Stephanie quickly repositioned Finn's arm, impaling it on the pale boy's teeth. Finn didn't even react. The large teen just smiled goofily down at his stepbrother. Nobody seemed to notice it had gone quiet except Lauren, who looked down at Rachel, who had fainted.

Stephanie monitored Kurt's feeding, and made sure Finn was unharmed. "Puck, he's going to need more blood than Finn can provide. You willing to donate?"

"Just say when."

"Now's as good a time as any." She carefully removed Finn's arm from Kurt's teeth, and wrapped it with a strip of clothe she ripped from Kurt's already ruined shirt. Only then did she release Finn's mind. "How you feeling?"

The tall boy just nodded and moved out of the way as Puck took his place next to Kurt, and Stephanie repeated the process, minus the finger prick. Once she was satisfied Kurt had taken as much blood as was safe, she slipped into the main portion of the store, grabbed up an 'I (heart) NY' tshirt, dropped a $100 bill beside the register, and moved back into the back room.

Finn was sitting beside Rachel, who had apparently recovered from her faint, and was whispering to the girl, who was sitting there whimpering. Stephanie ignored her as she quickly helped Blaine clean Kurt up as much as possible, and then put the Tshirt on the still unconscious boy. They left the building, removing as much evidence of their presence as possible, and Puck locked up and reset the alarm system.

Blaine and Finn half carried and half dragged Kurt between them, trying to make it look like the boy was intoxicated. They made it back to where the limo had dropped them off. Artie had called the driver, Edward, and asked him to come pick them up. The limo pulled up a few minutes later, just as Mercedes, Sam, and Quinn caught up with them.

"Tina and Mike are with Britt and San. How is Kurt?" Quinn asked, concerned as she looked over the boy as Puck and Blaine carefully laid him out on the floor of the limo.

"He's going to be fine, Thanks to Finn and Puck. They gave him blood." Stephanie said.

Edward cleared his throat. "Who all is riding with Mr. Hummel?"

Blaine had already slipped in beside Kurt. Finn joined him, pulling Rachel along with him. The petite brunette was still in a state of shock and muttering to herself. Stephanie sighed and looked at Artie. "I'm going with them, you ride back with the others."

Artie nodded and hugged her. "You did good," he whispered to her.

"The other cars will be here in ten minutes to pick up the rest of you," Edward advised them, closing the rear door behind Stephanie, and moving to the driver seat. Once the car was in motion, the driver called into the back. "If he requires more blood, there is some in the fridge beneath the mini bar."

Stephanie reached into the fridge and pulled out two bags of blood, but hesitated before popping them to Kurt's teeth. She checked his wound first. It had already stopped bleeding. She knew that the more blood Kurt received, the faster the healing would be, but also the more painful. Should she give him more, or wait?

She was distracted from her thoughts by Rachel. "What did you do to him?"

"What?" She asked the other girl, confused.

"Kurt!" the brunette almost spat out. "What did you do to him? He was perfectly normal until you arrived!"

Stephanie was surprised by the accusation. "He was so much better than normal!"

"Rachel!" Finn snapped. "Stephanie didn't do anything to Kurt! He was born like this."

"What? That's impossible! He's a vampire! Vampires aren't born, they are turned by other vampires! They are soulless and evil!"

Blaine turned and glared at her. "He is not a vampire! He is an immortal! His mother was born an immortal, and his father was born human but became immortal when they fell in love. Kurt is neither soulless nor evil! He's kind and generous and loving! And in case you didn't notice, he stepped in front of the blade that was aimed at you!"

Finn was frowning at her. "I'm so disappointed in you right now. Kurt is your friend, and he's my brother, more so now than before. I gave him my blood willingly, no one forced me to. Why? Because I know he's a good person and I don't want him hurt!"

"Finn?" Everyone turned to look at Kurt, who was now awake, but obviously in pain.

"Hey, bro! How you feeling?" The tall teen said, holding the other boy's hand.

"You gave me your blood?"

"Well yeah, that's what brothers do. I guess this makes us blood brothers now. Puck gave you blood, too."

The pale boy smiled weakly. "Blood brothers. I like that." He turned his face to Blaine, and smiled again. "Hello, Beautiful."

Blaine let out a sobbing laugh, and leaned down and kissed him. "We'll be back at your cousin's place in just a few minutes. You scared me to death!"

"I'm sorry!"

"Kurt?" Stephanie inquired. "Do you need more blood? I have a couple of bags here if you want them."

He nodded, and managed to pop one of the bags to his teeth without help. It was only then that Kurt looked at Rachel. He had heard her comments as he'd begun to come around. They had stabbed at his chest as surely as the blade had pierced his side. He continued to stare at her as he fed. She had the grace to look chagrined.

He knew she hadn't meant what she had said. She was just ignorant of the supernatural world, but it still hurt that she had even thought for a moment that he was a soulless, evil creature. He switched bags when the first one emptied, never taking his eyes from the girl.

Marguerite and Bastien were waiting for them as the limo pulled up. Bastien carried Kurt to his room, and the others followed. Marguerite examined the wound, and smiled. The skin was pink and puckered with scar tissue already. By morning there would be no evidence of the stabbing. She fussed over him for a few minutes, and then shooed everyone out except Stephanie and Rachel.

Stephanie was still upset with the older girl for what she had implied in the limo, but knew Kurt would forgive the girl, so she would too.

Rachel bit her lip as she looked at the two preternatural beings sitting on the bed. "I'm sorry. I know you aren't evil, Kurt. I was just in shock, and you have to admit that seeing someone sprouting fangs and drinking blood can lead to a misconception. Obviously all the movies and books are wrong."

Kurt sighed. "You can't believe everything you read in a book, Rachel. Yeah, Bram Stoker based Dracula after my Uncle Jean Claude, but they were both drunk that night, and Bram got all his facts mixed up."

"So, what is the truth, then? Do you sparkle like glitter in the sunlight like the vampires in Twilight?"

"For Gaga's sake, Rachel, don't be ridiculous! You've seen me in sunlight! And please, stop using that offensive term! We are NOT vampires! We're immortals!" Kurt winced in pain as he finished his outburst. Stephanie patted him on the shoulder.

"Let's let Kurt get some rest. Come with me down to the kitchen, and the rest of us will explain everything to you."

"They all know?" Rachel asked, sounding hurt.

"Everyone except Brittany, Santana, and Mr. Schue." Kurt said, sounding exhausted.

"But why didn't you tell me before? Why tell everyone else?"

"I didn't tell any of them. I'm not allowed to tell anyone. They all figured it out for themselves."

"But..."

Stephanie stood and took the girl's arm. "Come on, the others will be back any minute now. We'll send Britt, San, and Mr. Schue to bed, and the rest of us can talk."

…

Rachel sat through the explanation of nanos, Atlantis, and lifemates as they all sat around drinking hot chocolate and eating pastries from Bastien's favorite French patisserie. Each of the others told her about how they had discovered Kurt's secret. She felt even guiltier then, because apparently she had been the only one to accuse him of being a soulless, evil creature.

As they finished their snacks and started heading upstairs to bed, Rachel stopped the younger girl. "I'm sorry, Stephanie. I shouldn't have said what I did, or accused you of doing anything to Kurt. You've done nothing but defend him since you came here."

Stephanie accepted the apology. They hadn't told Rachel about how Stephanie came to be immortal, but made the brunette promise to read the books.

…

Sunday morning, Kurt was once again the first one up. He was still a little sore from the healing, but all that remained of the wound now was a rapidly fading white line. He showered, Dressed, and went to the kitchen to make coffee and start breakfast. Surprisingly, Finn was the next to wake up and join him.

"Hey, bro, how you feeling now?" The taller boy asked, filling a mug with coffee.

Kurt smiled at him. "Much better, thanks. I really appreciate what you and Puck did for me last night."

"Hey, you don't have to thank us. You're one of us, dude. I'm so sorry about how Rachel reacted, though."

Kurt just shrugged, and didn't bother protesting being called dude. "Everyone reacts differently, Finn. Rachel just didn't know what she was talking about. She regretted it almost as soon as she said it. Yeah, it hurt when she said it, but now she knows better. I've already forgiven her. You should too."

The taller boy just nodded and drank his coffee. "So what are you going to do today? You know, since we don't have to compete now, and we aren't flying out until tonight?"

Kurt grinned. "The girls and I are going shopping with Terri, and Bastien is taking the rest of you guys to a Yankees game."

"No way! Dude, your family is awesome!" He hugged the shorter boy.

…

They arrived back in Columbus shortly after eight that night. Kurt and Blaine rode together in one limo, while the others all piled into the other two. When they arrived at Dalton, Kurt walked Blaine to his dorm.

They were saying good night, when Jeff and Nick suddenly rushed up to them. "Kurt! Blaine! We need to tell you something!" Nick exclaimed.

"What's going on guys?" Blaine asked, concerned.

Jeff looked sheepish when he responded. "Thad and Trent found out about us."

Kurt frowned, and dragged them in to Blaine's room, closing the door. "How?"

Now both boys were looking down at the floor, like four year olds who had gotten caught with their hands in the cookie jar. "Well, we were almost out of blood, and we were waiting for our delivery, but we were both hungry, and there was only one bag left, so we decided to share it." Nick started.

Jeff picked up the narrative. "We were playing around, and kind of both ended up feeding from the same bag, and you know how it is between lifemates. Well, we forgot to lock the door, and Thad and Trent walked in, and saw us feeding."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "And what was their reaction?"

Nick cleared his throat. "Uh, well, they both had read the first book, and realized what was happening. Trent kind of squealed like a girl. Wes and David were walking by outside and heard him. They swore them to secrecy."

Kurt and Blaine looked at each other and sighed. Jeff looked chagrined. "So, uh, how was New York?"


	15. Life Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This will be the final chapter of A Second Bite, but not the end of this crossover series! I'll be posting another full story! See how Stephanie's Summer in Canada plays out, and how do Kurt, Blaine, Nick, and Jeff spend their Summer? Look for The Final Bite

Stephanie was sitting on Artie's lap at lunch on the last day of school. "What am I going to do without you all summer?"

The boy hugged her back. "It won't be all summer. I'm coming up in a few weeks for Tricia and Teddy's wedding. And you'll be back for school in September."

"It seems like forever."

The baritone chuckled. "It will be a blink of the eye, I promise!"

...

"It's true, Santana," Brittany chimed. "Lord Tubbington told me so."

"Whatever , Brit," The Latina said, obviously not believing a word of what the blonde girl was saying as she cleaned out her locker on the last day of school.

Kurt was at the far end of the hallway, and could hear every word of their conversation with his preternatural hearing. He wasn't sure what Brittany was trying to convince the darker girl of, having just arrived, and being somewhat distracted with thoughts of Blaine. Though it was the last day of school at McKinley, Dalton still had two days of classes left, and then they would be spending a week together in Florida with Blaine's mom. He could hardly wait.

"Look, there he is! Let's ask him," Brittany insisted, dragging the other girl with her. "Hi Kurt!"

He turned and smiled at her. "Hi Britt, San. What's up?"

Santana rolled her eyes. "Brittany thinks you are an android and will never get any older."

"That's not what I said, Santana. I said he has robots living inside of him. Tiny little ones. Isn't that right, Kurt?"

Kurt tried to hide his shock. "Uh, where did you hear that?"

"Lord Tubbington told me. He said that is why your cousin wants me to go to Toronto this summer to have some tests done!"

"What?" Both Santana and Kurt exclaimed.

"Yeah, that guy we met in New York, Bastien. He wants to test my blood and my IQ. He thinks we may be related, or something like that. And he said I'm extremely smart!"

Bastien wanted to do a DNA test on Brittany? He thought they might be related? "Uh, Brittany, what exactly did my cousin say to you?"

"He said he wanted to test my blood to see if you and I were related some how. Or to see if I was related to someone else like you, maybe? And he said you have tiny little robots..."

"Nanos," Kurt corrected.

"Yeah, nanos in your blood that heal you and keep you young, but that you need blood to feed them..."

Santana looked from one to the other of them, growing more confused, and thus angrier by the second. "What the hell are you talking about? Nanos? What's going on, Lady Lips?"

Kurt glanced up and down the hall, and then grabbed each girl by the wrist and lead them to the choir room. Mercedes and Tina were already there, and Finn, Puck, and Lauren were coming in from the other door. There was no Glee practice scheduled, but New Directions were gathering after school just to sing for the fun of it.

"Mercedes, could you do me a huge favor and go out to my car and grab me a couple bags?" Kurt asked, tossing her his keys. She looked from him to the two girls with him, a question in her eyes, but he just gave her a look that said 'they were bound to find out sooner or later.'

Santana still looked like she wanted to slash someone if they didn't start talking soon. The rest of the group arrived as Mercedes returned, shutting the doors behind her. Mr. Schue was in a staff meeting, so they had a few minutes. Kurt smiled at the others. "Brittany, can you tell us what you know about nanos?"

"Oh, sure, Kurt. They're tiny little robots inside your body. They keep you healthy and heal your injuries and keep you young forever."

Santana was tapping her foot, arms crossed over her chest. "What is the whole point of this, Hummel? Why are you interrogating her? You don't really believe any of this, do...What the hell!"

She jumped back in shock as Kurt sliced a cut in his palm. She hadn't even seen him grab the scissors from Mr. Schue's office.

"It's okay, San," Brittany said. "He's just trying to prove to you that it's true. See, his hand already stopped bleeding!"

And it had. Santana looked on, mouth agape as the wound slowly healed itself. Kurt held out his unmarred hand to Mercedes, who handed him a bag of blood. "Thanks, 'Cedes."

Santana let out a little yelp as Kurt's fangs slid down, and he popped the bag of blood to his teeth. She looked around at the others, to see if they were seeing this too, only to realize that everyone else seemed to be watching her for her response. "You all knew?"

Puck shrugged. "Princess wasn't allowed to tell anyone, but we all figured it out in our own ways."

Kurt finished the bag, and smiled at her. "I'm actually surprised, I thought you'd be one of the first to figure it out."

"So, what exactly are you, some kind of day walking vampire?"

Surprisingly, it wasn't Kurt who replied.

"They prefer the term immortals. Vampires is offensive to them," Rachel said.

"The first ones came from Atlantis, a very advanced culture from thousands of years ago," Finn supplied.

"The scientist who invented the nanos was a little lazy, and just told the nanos to keep the body in peek condition, failing to take in the body's constant need for repairs, no matter how small," Artie stated.

"The nanos use blood as fuel, and to make repairs and reproduce, and they use it up much faster than the human body can replace it, so those patients who had the nanos in them had to be given blood transfusions daily," Lauren interjected.

"After Atlantis fell from the combined volcanic eruption and Earthquake, only those Atlantian's with nanos in their blood survived and escaped, but the world outside Atlantis was still in the hunter/gather stage of evolution," contributed Sam.

Quinn picked up the narrative from there. "Many of them died in the first year because they couldn't get the blood they needed, so the nanos began to adapt them."

Tina nodded. "Yeah, they developed super hearing, strength, speed, and eyesight. Their night vision became like a cat's, so they could feed at night and avoid the damaging rays of the sun."

Mike spoke up next. "They developed the ability to read and control minds so they could calm the people they were forced to feed on, and make them forget. But now that they have blood banks again, they only feed on bagged blood, except in emergencies, or extenuating circumstances."

"Like all humans, and despite the differences, Kurt is still human, there are good and bad immortals," Mercedes said, handing Stephanie the other bag of blood, along with a straw. "Kurt's mom was a rogue hunter, their version of a police force. She was killed by a rogue. Stephanie and her sister Dani were attacked and turned by a rogue, a no-fanger at that."

Santana watched the girl stab the bag with the straw and start to drink the crimson liquid, and remembered the story about the girl witnessing a violent crime. He saw the acceptance there in the Latina's eyes. Kurt smiled at his friends, so glad they had all accepted him, all of him, for himself.

He turned back to Santana and Brittany. "Now you all know the truth. I thought it would be impossible to ever feel like this, to know that you all accept me as I am. I love all of you so much."

There was a chorus of awws, and they all gathered around and hugged him.


End file.
